A fun clock to build! It will behave as a quantum particle!

Quantum theory states that by the very act of watching, the observer affects reality. It is very difficult to convince anyone about this. Watch out if you are trying to make your girlfriend believe the story. You may quickly discover that she has quantum tunneled her way out of your life!

You may wish to build a device that makes it very easy to illustrate the quantum phenomenon. Don’t give it to your girlfriend though, unless she is a physics major! She would surely want to have nothing to do with a guy who builds such spooky clocks.

Now the specs of the clock: As long as someone observes the clock at least once a day, it displays accurate time; but leave it in a locked apartment for a couple of days and come back – it shows some absurd time. Reset it and ensure that someone looks at it at least once a day, and it will keep correct time! You cannot cheat! Keeping a webcam on to watch the clock does not count as looking at it! You actually have to read the time on the clock and be conscious of its correct working for it to work properly. It is all about consciousness and reality!

What is the arcane science behind this clock? For the present, I would settle for a motion detector coupled to the clock. If you have friend in business school, team up with him or her. You can sell these clocks online for $200 apiece next December! They will make perfect gifts.

My daughter suggests a different quantum mechanical clock; one that keeps perfect time as long as no one is watching it. If anyone takes a look, she will see only some random time. What is the principle behind its operation? You will need to sign a contract on royalty payments to get that information.  

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