Chapter 23
What is an Observer?
This topic forms the very crux of why many people think quantum physics is completely different to classical physics. A similar question we just asked is: “What is a measurement?” for this is exactly what an observer does. They must observe in some way such that a result of the experiment or event may be known or realised – turned from potential to actual. Physics could not progress or be useful without getting real outcomes that can be compared against theoretical predictions. This is why science is trustworthy and factual. Despite being a kind of art in some ways it is not fiction.
It is this critical testing performed independently that helps keep science truthful.
We need to perform observations to both provide data that is used to help formulate theories or new ideas and secondly enable others to confirm or deny the reality of these theories using additional experimentation.
It was usual in the past for the same person to perform both functions, but today it is not very common, and physics is broadly divided into two branches called experimentation and theoretical physics due to the work and complexity involved in each.
When we consider what light is and how it behaves, we must be aware of the fact that it is made from tiny individual photons or particles that are emitted from the single source one by one and similarly absorbed by a single receiver one by one. Usually the source and receiver are both separate electrons. All light does this no matter how bright it appears. Light can be bright or dim depending on the number of electrons emitting photons from the source. Brightness simply means many more photons that are travelling together, although often in different directions and energies and with different phases or positions of the E-M fields within their individual sinusoidal cycles. Light photons have different colours due to the different energies they are carrying in their vibrations. Pure single coloured or monochromatic light is rare and only possible in lasers.
The emission and absorption of light can appear to behave differently depending on its brightness or the number of photons involved. In other words one or many. In our everyday world light usually consists of billions of photons that make what we call a beam and has properties such as a spherical wavefront, different colours, different polarisations and the ability to follow an apparently single defined path. It can also be observed without causing it to be affected by the observation, provided the experiment is designed to do this.
This is not the case for an individual photon We therefore need to ask: For a single photon before and after it is observed, was the E-M wave we perceive originally a kind of potential sphere that somehow disappears everywhere except the point in space where it interacts and is observed to be? Or is it always a straight line that connects the source directly with the receiver?
A very large number of photons leaving a bright light source make a spherical wave like the light we observe from the sun and stars. It travels in all directions simultaneously. But what about a single photon? Is this somehow also able to travel in all possible paths before reaching its destination? This is something Feynman and others seriously considered in the subject of quantum electrodynamics, or QED.
Referring back to Schrodinger and his equation: Is this what is meant by the collapse of the wave function once an observation is made? The potential sphere becoming a single straight line? Not a real line but only the path it must have travelled in going from source to receiver. Somehow the wave has the potential to spread everywhere over the sphere’s surface, but once it interacts with something at some point this potential disappears instantly in all other locations no matter how far apart they are. Is this how entanglement works in particles such as pairs of electrons that can be widely separated but be observed to have opposite states and thus giving rise to a loss of locality as found in the EPR paradox?
Is this what happens when a photon reaches its receiver and is absorbed? For light particles we then say the photon moved from A to B at light speed but where else has it been if at all?
Some may say this is purely a quantum phenomenon and not something classical physics should ever be concerned with. SED disagrees and asks: Whynot? Surely this whole scenario is being described using conventional arguments and ideas many scientifically inclined readers could follow. It is at the very heart of how science progresses.
The Origin of Everything
(Online Edition)
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24 - What is Entropy?
Often described as a measure of disorder, entropy is a slippery but fundamental concept shaping our understanding of the universe's fate. From the quiet structure of living systems to the chaotic drift toward cosmic “heat death,” this chapter explores entropy as both a mathematical idea and a deep physical truth. Is energy the driver of disorder? Can entropy itself be stored? These provocative questions are explored further.
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25 - SED and Schrödinger’s Equations
Schrödinger’s equation describes how quantum systems evolve, but SED reveals the physical origin behind the maths: spin. Matter waves aren’t abstract- they emerge from the rotational motion of energy in soliton structures. Spin, encoded in Planck’s constant, is the heartbeat of matter itself. This chapter bridges wave mechanics and real structure, grounding quantum behaviour in electromagnetic motion.
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26 - What is a Neutrino?
Neutrinos are the ghost particles of the universe - abundant, fast, and almost invisible to interaction. SED suggests they are oversized, low-energy rotons with hidden structure and a single unchanging spin. Their mysterious ability to morph between three types may be tied to motion through the three dimensions of space. Could their elusive nature be due to an undetectable charge and giant size? This chapter explores the particle that slips through almost everything, including our understanding.
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27 - What is a Wave and What is Waving?
Are the waves in quantum physics real, or just mathematical ghosts? SED argues they’re electromagnetic through and through - real, measurable, and the very essence of matter. This chapter challenges the Copenhagen view, rooting wave-particle duality in structured energy, not abstract probability. What if potential is more physical than we could imagine?
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28 - Gravitational Mass and Inertial Mass
What makes mass resist motion? And what makes it attract other mass? This chapter explores the link between gravitational and inertial mass, proposing they stem from the same origin: space compression during matter formation. Using the SED framework, it offers a tangible geometric explanation for inertia and gravity, and hints at the futuristic possibility of anti-gravity. Could mastering the geometry of space lead to revolutionary new motion?
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29 - Energy Is Not Quantised
Is energy truly quantised? This chapter challenges a core quantum assumption, proposing that while Planck’s constant (h) is quantised, energy itself flows as a continuum - its apparent granularity an illusion shaped by the frequency of vibration. Photons may arrive in discrete packets, but the underlying fabric of energy can take on any value. What determines a particle’s mass or energy? The search for deeper balance continues.
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30 - Conclusion
A new beginning is formed. From conclusions on the formation of matter, gravity, and the fine structure constant a new picture of the universe has been defined. Where to from here?
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31 - Further Studies
These are the areas where further investigation is needed to complete the Theory of Everything.
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32 - References
Interested in further reading? These are the previous authors and books that helped to form the theories within The Origin of Everything
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Foreword
Before diving into the main content, read here about the motivation behind the book and the big questions it seeks to answer. See who inspired the work, and the thinking that led to this theory, and why it might just change the way we understand the universe.
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01 - Introduction
Modern physics often buries insight under complexity. The theory outlined in The Origin of Everything offers a return to simplicity and a new vision of how the universe is built. Written for curious minds, it presents a bold, unified theory of everything - grounded in known physics, inspired by new insight.
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02 - Structural Electrodynamics (SED)
Here we meet the core concept of the book - Structural Electrodynamics: matter is made from energy loops, not point particles. These loops, called rotons, are electromagnetic structures that trap energy in a spinning, three-dimensional wave - a soliton. SED offers a unified framework that can explain particles, forces, and even gravity from first principles.
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03 - Matter and Energy
This chapter redefines the boundary between energy and matter. Energy flows in flat, fast waves, but when curled into a tight loop, it becomes mass. Using this model, we see that light and matter aren’t opposites but two states of the same underlying field.
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04 - Quantum is Not That Strange
Quantum physics seems weird only when we treat it as separate from classical physics. This chapter shows that if you accept that all particles are waves with structure and spin, the quantum world starts to make intuitive sense. Wave-particle duality and other “mysteries” are natural outcomes of field behaviour.
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05 - Angular Momentum & Planck’s Constant h
Spin is not a quirky quantum property. It's the foundation of all physical motion. Planck’s constant defines the smallest unit of angular momentum, making it the heartbeat of the universe’s structure. Everything spins, and spin defines everything.
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06 - The Uncertainty Principle
The Uncertainty Principle isn’t about fuzziness or confusion. It’s about the deep interconnection between motion and measurement. You can’t perfectly know a particle’s position and momentum at the same time because they're different faces of the same process. This chapter reframes uncertainty as a natural limit of structured fields.
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07 - What are Fields?
Fields are more than mathematical abstractions. They are the basis of all of the physical universe. And there is only one type - Electromagnetic. This chapter lays the foundation for understanding how all energy, matter, and forces emerge from field dynamics.
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08 - Charge and Magnetism
What if charge and magnetism aren’t fundamental points but consequences of something deeper? Here we explore how electromagnetic fields give rise to electric charge and magnetism, opposing the current school of thought. It is the elegant interplay of these dynamic fields within the roton that create all of the forces in nature.
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09 - The Electron
In this chapter, the structure of the electron is revealed. Made from two gamma-ray photons colliding at right angles, their energy locks into a spinning loop called a roton—a stable, three-dimensional wave. This motion gives rise to mass, charge, and spin, with no need for point particles. The electron is light, folded and locked into form.
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10 - The Atom
This chapter shows how protons, neutrons, and electrons form from light itself, held together purely by the electromagnetic force—no need for a separate “strong force.” Through Structural Electrodynamics, we uncover the physical structure behind charge, spin, fusion, and the stability of matter itself.
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11 - The Universe
From the subatomic to the cosmic, SED extends its insights to the vast structure and evolution of the universe. This chapter explores how time, matter, and space emerged through waves of creation, annihilation, and expansion - guided by electromagnetic fields. A fresh explanation for inflation, antimatter asymmetry, and mass reveals the universe as a dynamic interplay of field-based phenomena.
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12 - What is Gravity?
Gravity isn’t a force - it’s space itself compressing around matter, pulled inward due to its formation. This chapter redefines gravity as a geometric effect caused by the 3D twisting of energy, revealing the true link between mass, spin, and space-time. SED offers a physical explanation Einstein never had, uncovering why gravity is weak, always attractive, and utterly fundamental.
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13 - Dark Energy, Dark Matter, and Black Holes
SED suggests that even the darkest forces in the cosmos (black holes, dark matter, and dark energy) emerge from the dynamics of electromagnetic fields. From accelerating expansion powered by ongoing annihilation, to invisible rotons that may comprise dark matter, this chapter offers field-based explanations where standard models fall silent. It even draws a provocative link between black holes and fundamental particles through the fine structure constant, hinting at a cosmic symmetry.
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14 - SED and Maxwell’s Equations
Maxwell’s equations are the foundation of electromagnetism, and SED brings them to life by modeling particles as dynamic, twisting field structures called rotons. Within this framework, electric charge emerges from divergence, mass arises from curl, and the dance between E and B fields sustains both light and matter. The roton isn’t just compatible with Maxwell’s theory - it’s a vivid physical manifestation of it.
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15 - The Fine Structure Constant
Since its discovery in 1916 by Sommerfield, the Fine-Structure Constant, α, has long been a mystery, known precisely but not understood. SED proposes that α represents the ratio between the width of a particle’s electromagnetic path and its overall wavelength, giving physical meaning to this dimensionless number. In this model, particles are structured as twisting electromagnetic fields (rotons), and only a specific internal twist, equal to α, can sustain their stable motion. Thus, α emerges naturally from the geometry of light trapped in matter.
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16 - SED and Spin
An eternal twist woven into the fabric of every particle. SED reveals that this motion isn’t abstract or symbolic, but real angular momentum born from the spiraling dance of light itself. Through the geometry of rotons, matter inherits its spin, mass, and dual magnetic states. What quantum theory once shrouded in mystery, SED brings into view with clarity and elegance.
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17 - Problems with the Standard Model
The Standard Model claims to explain the fundamental particles and forces of nature - but SED challenges its complexity, contradictions, and reliance on unverified entities like quarks and gluons. What if mass, charge, and spin emerge from elegant field structures instead of patchwork theories? This chapter invites you to question the orthodoxy and discover a simpler, more unified picture of the universe.
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18 - Unification of the Four Forces
What if all the forces of nature - gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and weak nuclear forces - were just different expressions of a single phenomenon? This chapter presents SED’s radical proposal: that electromagnetic fields alone are responsible for every interaction in the universe. From the binding of atomic nuclei to the warping of space-time, SED reveals how geometry, spin, and field dynamics replace the patchwork of separate forces. It’s an elegant unification, long sought by physics and perhaps, finally within reach.
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19 - What are de Broglie Waves?
De Broglie’s bold idea that all matter behaves like a wave helped spark the quantum revolution. SED brings it vividly to life. By connecting wave-particle duality to real spinning fields, this chapter reimagines de Broglie waves not as abstract probabilities, but as tangible, physical motion. Discover how the dance of spin, wavelength, and momentum shapes both the quantum and the cosmic.
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20 - What is a Spinor?
Spinors are essential to modern physics, yet their physical meaning has remained obscure for over a century. This chapter explores a new perspective from SED that connects spinors with the structure of matter in a clear and testable way. It shows how their strange properties (like requiring a 720° rotation to return to their original state) can be understood as real features of the particles they describe. The result is a model that links the abstract spinor to the familiar electron, revealing them as one and the same.
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21 - SED and Polarisation
A sine wave is circular motion viewed side-on. Fundamentally light is always spinning. This chapter explores how the orientation of that spin gives rise to different types of polarisation: vertical, horizontal, and circular. SED reveals how aligned spins in photons unlock phenomena from sunglasses to 3D cinema. Discover how polarisation offers a window into the deeper structure of light itself.
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22 - What is a Measurement?
What exactly happens when we measure something? In classical science, measurements were thought to simply reveal fixed properties - but quantum physics reveals a deeper truth: the act of measuring can influence the system itself. This chapter explores how observation collapses possibilities into outcomes, and how uncertainty sets limits on what we can ever truly know. A fascinating look at the fine line between potential and reality.
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23 - What is an Observer?
What does it really mean to observe something in physics and why does it matter? This chapter explores the observer’s role in transforming possibilities into actual events, especially at the quantum scale. From photons emitted one by one to the mysterious collapse of the wave function, it challenges the idea that observation is passive. Is the observer merely watching, or are they fundamentally shaping what unfolds?