ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Transactional interpretation

Okay kiddo, let’s talk about a really interesting idea called transactional interpretation. This is all about understanding what happens when things happen in a quantum world which is a world that’s too small to see and too weird to imagine.

So in this world, particles like electrons and photons can do some strange things. They can be in two places at the same time, they can seem to communicate with each other instantly even if they are far apart, and they can jump from one energy level to another without crossing the space in between. This is called quantum mechanics.

Now, scientists have come up with ideas to explain what’s happening in this quantum world. One of these ideas is called the transactional interpretation. This idea says that every event in the quantum world is a transaction happening between the past and the future, like a conversation between two people.

Let me give you an example. Imagine that you want to send a message to your friend on the other side of the room. You’ll need to speak, and your friend will need to listen. This is like a transaction, where your words travel from your mouth to your friend’s ears. In the quantum world, particles are doing something similar. They are communicating with each other to make changes or perform actions.

In quantum mechanics, the transactional interpretation says that particles communicate using waves that go in both directions from the past and the future. It’s like having a conversation where you already know what your friend is going to say, and your friend already knows what you are going to say. That way, you both can have a connected and coherent exchange of information.

Now, this interpretation may seem a bit strange, but it actually helps explain some of the weird things that happen in the quantum world. For example, it can help explain why particles can move and change in strange ways, and how they can be in two places at once.

So that’s the basic idea of transactional interpretation. It’s a way of thinking about how particles in the quantum world communicate and interact through transactions between the past and the future.