Quantum bogodynamics (/kwon'tm boh`goh-di-nam'iks/) is a humorous parody of
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, q ...
, that describes the universe through interactions of fictional elementary particles,
''bogons'' (by analogy to the naming of real
elementary particles
In particle physics, an elementary particle or fundamental particle is a subatomic particle that is not composed of other particles. Particles currently thought to be elementary include electrons, the fundamental fermions (quarks, leptons, an ...
, e.g. photons; but also from the English word ''bogus'', meaning 'fake').
This theory assumes the existence of three basic phenomena:
[
* Bogon-emitting sources (such as politicians, used-car dealers, TV preachers, and teleshopping hosts)
* Bogon absorbers (or sinks) (taxpayers and computers),
* Bogosity potential fields.
The Jargon File Glossary describes the theory as follows:
The unit of bogosity is microLenat, proposed by David Jefferson, and was intended as an attack against computer scientist ]Doug Lenat
Douglas Bruce Lenat (born 1950) is the CEO of Cycorp, Inc. of Austin, Texas, and has been a prominent researcher in artificial intelligence; he was awarded the biannual IJCAI Computers and Thought Award in 1976 for creating the machine learning p ...
. "Doug had failed the student on an important exam because the student gave only “AI is bogus” as his answer to the questions. The slur is generally considered unmerited, but it has become a running gag nevertheless. Some of Doug's friends argue that of course a microLenat is bogus, since it is only one millionth of a Lenat. Others have suggested that the unit should be redesignated after the grad student, as the microReid."
References
{{reflist
Hacker culture
Computing culture