Comment by fasterik
11 hours ago
If we've learned anything from modern physics, it's that our regular intuitions are often wrong. The framework makes perfect sense mathematically, and it makes the right predictions experimentally. It's still controversial how exactly the framework relates to reality, which is where you get into interpretations of quantum mechanics.
One of my favourite examples of this pedagogically is how kinetic energy is quadratic with velocity. It's easy to tie into things people think they understand, like braking distance. Our intuitions are wrong even in shockingly simple problems.
Agree, but kinetic energy being mv^2/2 rather than mv can be pretty intuitive in the right context:
> Would you father get hit with:
> * a 1 kg object moving at 1 m/s or
> * a 1 g object moving at 1 km/s?
This. A tesla model Y going 60mph has almost 2 times the kinetic energy (75MJ) of the same car going 45mph (40MJ)
Your stupid brain thinks, oh I am just 10ish over the limit.