photon knows how thick a window is

An example of anthropomorphism in popular science writing:

"A photon hitting the inside surface of a window somehow knows how thick the glass is and acts accordingly. There's something similar to entanglement happening here, a kind of action at a distance by which the photon knows how thick the glass is without passing through it…"

Brian Clegg

Clegg, B. (2015). Light Years. The extraordinary story of mankind's fascination with light. Icon.

Read about anthropomorphism

Read examples of anthropomorphism in science

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.