In reply to:


Ah. Max, but but but -
Isn't "quantum" as it is (probably mis-)used now all about the discrete aspect rather than the smallest possible aspect?

i.e. a quantum leap represents when something or someone jumps from one discrete state to another, or makes a significant transition.

"Never mind the quality, feel the width" !


You are probably right - I suppose I was guilty of hawking my view without a planck to stand on. Despite my uncertainty, as a matter of principle, I still feel that I was relatively correct, as the implication in media usage seems to be not merely "discrete" but "large". From this observer's standpoint the word "quantum" appears to shifted, at least in common usage, from "discrete, and , most often, very small" to "discrete, and huge" - a shift of many, many, many orders of magnitude, that has really let the cat out of the box.