| 词组 | quantum jump, quantum leap |
| 释义 | quantum jump, quantum leap The phrase quantum jump (or leap) is derived from the world of physics, in which it has the meaning, "an abrupt transition (as of an electron, an atom, or a molecule) from one discrete energy state to another." Most people are more familiar with its extended use in the sense "an abrupt change, sudden increase, or dramatic advance." This sense was first recorded in 1955 (the original sense dates back to about 1926), and its use has been common since the 1960s: • Radioactive fall-out is the "third quantum jump" in the history of modern weapons. The first quantum jump, Dr. Lapp explained, was the A-bomb that shattered Hiroshima —Science News Letter, 19 Feb. 1955 (OED Supplement) • ... a quantum jump in the number of men considered qualified for the bench —Time, 21 Feb. 1955 • ... the artistic quantum leap of our time —Donal Henahan, N.Y. Times, 7 July 1968 • My views... involve a quantum jump from conventional theory and policy —Neil H. Jacoby, A Center Occasional Paper, June 1969 • ... help China make a quantum leap to a more advanced level of industrial development —Wall Street Jour., 29 Jan. 1979 • ... pushing science ahead by quantum leaps — Lynde McCormick, Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jan. 1980 Such usage has been criticized as voguish or jargonistic, but most recent commentary (as from Howard 1978, Bryson 1984, and Barzun 1985) attacks it primarily on logical grounds, pointing out that in physics, a quantum jump is actually a very small change, not a large or dramatic one. The critics regard quantum jump as a technical term misused by ignorant laymen. The argument is academic, since the criticized usage is now established as standard, but it seems worthwhile to point out that the idea originally underlying the extended sense was abruptness rather than largeness, and that this sense appears to have originated among scientists, not laymen. In any case, a quantum jump in physics may be small, but it is also significant. The extended sense is not quite as illogical as the commentators make it out to be. |
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