quan
tum
Plural
quanta
1
the smallest possible amount of a particular quantity that cannot be divided any further
- The behavior of subatomic particles is governed by the principles of quantum mechanics.
- Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where particles become interconnected in such a way that the state of one particle instantaneously affects the state of another, regardless of the distance between them.
- The uncertainty principle, a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics, states that certain pairs of physical properties, such as position and momentum, cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrary precision.
- Quantum tunneling allows particles to pass through energy barriers that would be impassable according to classical mechanics.
- Quantum electrodynamics is a quantum field theory that describes the interactions between electromagnetic fields and charged particles, such as electrons and photons.
2
a discrete or fixed amount of something, analogous to a quantum in physics
- Each employee received a quantum of compensation for the extra work.
- The court awarded a quantum of damages appropriate to the loss.
- The committee allocated a quantum of funds for each department.
- He contributed only a small quantum of effort to the group task.
- They measured a quantum of relief among the population after the announcement.