: What if Planck’s constant was zero?
Answers
Answer:
:
A: Setting -
to zero is a way of taking the classical limit of quantum mechanics: the
uncertainty principle goes away, and in that limit quantum mechanics becomes more
or less equivalent to Newtonian mechanics. However, Planck’s treatment of black
body radiation suggests that a universe in which Planck’s constant was zero would
be very different than ours, because hot objects would rapidly radiate away all their
energy as high-frequency electromagnetic radiation (the ultraviolet catastrophe),
matter would be extremely cold, and the universe would be dominated by light.
Answer:
A smaller Planck's constant would allow atoms to be smaller, due to smaller quantum uncertainties. If Planck's constant were zero, there would be no quantum effects - everything would be continuous and smooth, fully predictable in the Newtonian sense.
When Planck's constant goes to zero inside, the surface boundary becomes a perfect mirror - no energy can fall inside it if energy is to be conserved. By the same token, nothing can emerge from the bubble. And we might not exist.