Original article (in Serbian) was published on 20/11/2023; Author: Marija Zemunović
Facebook page Femina recently shared a photo of a tattoo of a mathematical formula with the following statement: “This is the Dirac equation and it is the most beautiful of all in physics, which describes the phenomenon of quantum entanglement. In other words, it is the magical love formula. How it affects us, read in the comments.”.
The link in the comment further led to the Femina website, where it was explained in more detail:
“She said to him: ‘Tell me something nice…’
He answered her: ‘(∂ + m) ψ = 0’
This is the Dirac equation and it is the most beautiful of all in physics. He describes the phenomenon of quantum entanglement, which says:
‘If two systems interact during a certain period and then separate from each other, we can describe them as two different compositions, but they already exist as a different unique composition, what happens to one affects the other, even kilometres and light years away. ‘
This is quantum entanglement or quantum coupling. Two particles that have connected at some point are always connected. Despite the distance between them, even though they are on opposite ends of the Universe, the connection between them is instantaneous.
The same thing happens between two people when they are connected by something that only living beings can experience.
We call this LOVE.”
The story about the Dirac equation and its supposed connection to the formula for love was also shared earlier on various social networks: on Facebook (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. However, the problem with this beautiful story is that the Dirac equation does not represent a “formula for love.”
The Australian Associated Press has already debunked the link between the Dirac equation, quantum entanglement, and love. Several experts, contacted by this fact-checking portal, unanimously discredited the narrative. Dr. Marten Hogerland, a senior lecturer in physics at the University of Auckland and a quantum issues expert, clarified that quantum entanglement cannot be extended to romantic relationships. Additionally, he emphasized that the Dirac equation does not describe quantum entanglement.
Tomas Pasbi, an assistant professor at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, went further to dismiss the interpretation accompanying the viral text as “essentially nonsense.” He also pointed out a critical omission in the formula, which, notably, was absent in Serbian language publications as well.
What if we understand the Dirac equation as a metaphor?
The narrative surrounding the Dirac equation, as it turns out, is built upon a series of misinterpretations. YHowever, is there room to put the facts aside and understand this equation as a metaphor? The answer to this question depends on your willingness to accept analogies that are quite creative/far-fetched.
Melania D’Aniello, in her text on the misinterpretation of Dirac’s equation, explains why it is not possible to apply the laws of physics to human emotions and relationships: “It would be like trying to explain the behaviour of a car with psychology”.
Considering that quantum entanglement cannot be related to the world of human relationships and that the Dirac equation does not explain quantum entanglement, what does the Dirac equation even refer to?
Developed by the British physicist Paul Dirac in 1928, this relativistic equation of motion for the electron’s wave function “ranks among the highest achievements of science of the 20th century.” Dirac’s groundbreaking work earned him the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1933, shared with fellow physicist Schrödinger, “for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory.”