How can you explain zero-point energy to a non-physicist?

This very interesting reference gives clear reasons why zero point energy is not real ; http://bayes.wustl.edu/etj/artic... ‘’ ..we have been fooled by a subtle mathematical correspondence between stochastic and dynamical phenomena, into a belief that the ’’objective reality" of vacuum fluctuations and ZP energy are experimental facts. With the realization that this is not the case, many puzzling difficulties disappear ‘’.

Needless to say that this concept is very useful for doing QM calculations- very much like many others; the photon, the phonon, all virtual particles, the wave-particle duality, the Casimir effect, tunneling, spontaneous emission, etc etc.. despite not being real as far as classical mechanics is concerned, and despite being also derivable from pure classical mechanics arguments with completely different interpretations. I think if you bar the ‘photon’ from use today, solid state physics will announce a shut-down the next day! This is how much important the photon idea is for practical everyday work in the subject. The date of the reference above is 1996!!

Many non-physicists have a very nice understanding / experience of vacuum energy (= interconnectedness). It's rather "intuitive" and has to do with synthesis instead of analytical problem reaction paradigma... (left brain / right brain) for these kinds of people zero point "energy" is about "feeling" ... stillness / or being conscious of difference consciousness states.... consciousness of self awarness. (->1.)

To get both left brain / right brain together -> GEOMETRY

may be very helpful, in all scales(!) of nature you will find: 

golden mean spirals. Just make any 3D (at least) graphic using Fibonacci... you will end up drawing "energy patterns".

Why Geometry?

The Fractal Field Unified Theory and the principle of the Golden Mean allow for the addition and multiplication of waves of charge and energy. The idea of symmetry is vital to both. Quantum physicists can explain the menagerie of fundamental particles we observe – quarks, gluons, fermions, bosons and more – as different facets of a symmetrical object. Relativity, too, is an expression of the symmetries that exist between space and time (Einstein's famous equation E=mc2 articulates a symmetry between mass and energy). Symmetry is part of the language of nature, from the molecular level on up: Many animals and plants exploit symmetrical shapes as a way of standing out against the chaos of their landscape.

Fractal mathematics teaches the mathematics of infinite compression and Golden Ratio is self-similarity optimized- as precisely is fractality; its about the geometry of symmetries.

Golden ratio phase conjugation is fractality in all wave mechanics.

Now with this exact frequency signatures for fractality in space and time you might do a lot of very interesting things... starting with knowing why objects fall to the ground.... golden ratio (phase conjugate) times PLANCK length & time predict:- multiple exact radii of hydrogen, the exact only 2 frequencies which motorize photosynthesis, virtually exact Schumann planet harmonics, the brainwave (alpha / beta) frequencies of peak perception / bliss, virtually exact duration of the Earth year and Venus year, exact frequency and geometry used to create commercially proven life giving (bioactive) fields at (hydrodynamic implosion)...

Electricity is created by rotation and cross-rotation of the electromagnetic field (vortex / spining) and this field works from one place to another. It is based on Tetra / octa / cube - symmetries because those would generate maximum interference pattern and hence these matrices produce maximum charge isolation (this disharmony produces movement...)

The voltage generated by a fresh egg or a pine cone (apparently from the gravity field by being a fractal attractor for weak capacitance)- is a sustainable biologic source of energy. An Egg and the pine cone are excellent examples of sacred architecture because as biological capacitors they implode charge making life. They are made of biologic dialectric (self-similar at atomic and molecular symmetry levels)

Whereas pent / deca - dodeca / icosa - produce symmetries and implosive centripetal compression and thus maximum charge inclusion (gravity, synchronicity, singularity).

-> 1. the  mechanism of stillness of bliss, kundalini, peak perception is also precisely phase conjugate implosive collapse - using golden ratio in EEG. In fact phase conjugation (how pine cones kiss noses) does in fact helpfully describe the cause of perception. Coherent "attention" ( empathy) creates a fractal field of electromagnetic coherence (based on golden mean) and therefore charge inclusion.

There are many old arts / sciences / pragmatics: e.g. yoga, martial arts... through which you might get consciousness of self awareness; this would be EXPERIENCING zero-point energy, getting conscious of interconnectedness of all forces (e.g. in different body parts, the hole body ...as a fractal mirror of your outside surrounding).

In all those arts it's about being totally "venerable" in the sense of really totally accepting (in the sense of emphatically embedding/ integrating) all forces... even attention (consciousness) as an coherent energy vector embedding...

Please comment, from an electronic engineer point of view, on "conscious self awareness" ; how does it interact with the vacuum?

THE CONNECTED UNIVERSE NEW TRAILER

Adriong, I realize this is a year after this post went up but I just started, Einstein had it right when he said, “The true Scientist holds every proposition with a light grasp being willing to surrender it when encountering new evidence, or a better argument.”

There is so much out there that we dont know and most of our laws may change from what we think we know as these new things are discovered. When I was started grade school we had three diemensions, when I graduated high school, we then had four diemensions, now science has 5 diemensions and they say they admit to at least 11 diemension that they think exist.

How those coming dicoveries will change the laws as we know them is unknown but they most certainly will change our lives. Remember this, The difference between the possible and impossible is nothing more than a dream, the difference between a dream and reality is nothing more than work. Your dream may not be realized in your lifetime, but you do have the ability to start the work of bringing into reality, others will finish the job after you are gone.

Don’t assume that something is impossible simply because it may break one of the laws of physics, or something else, those laws are broken all the time. Flight was impossible until someone did it, as was the steam engine, light and so many other things. Have faith and dream big.