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it's a long distance relationship (lemmy.world)
submitted 9 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] 13 points 9 months ago (8 children)

Something something Bell's Theorem. I don't really understand it but that one was supposed to be counterevidence to hidden variables.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (7 children)

    "it can't be hidden variables because they're not as even as this math says they should be!" really just seems to be the whole QM field agreeing to stop arguing about spooky action at a distance.

    The distinction between wave-functions as real things that collapse at superluminal speed and the same as mere mathematical placeholders for deterministic local effects which occur without subjective time seems to be a semantic and philosophical one, similar to the "multiple realities" explanation of quantum uncertainty or the "11 dimensions" explanation for why gravity is weaker.

    As a practical matter, the only thing that students and non-physicts should remember is that wavefunction collapse allows superluminal coordination but not superluminal communication.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago* (6 children)

    okay so if i understand this right, if i take half of schroedingers box and open it up, by observing the half of the cat i have i will instantly know if the half of the box the other guy's got has got half of an alive cat in it? and i'll be able to tell if his half of an alive cat is purring and void or garfield and shit is my stupid analogy right?

    but i cannot pet my half of a cat and make it purr and thus make their half of a cat purr. because cats do not work that way.

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    You want to cut Schrödinger's box in half? This kills the cat, unless the box is big enough for the cat to avoid the blade, in which case you've opened the box and the cat is probably going to need some convincing to get out from under whatever furniture it can find.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    schroedinger's cat is an intentionally absurd metaphor from when QM dorks were still arguing about spooky action at a distance.

    Both the cat, the box, the vial of poison, and the cesium atom itself are all observers as far as a real QM wavefunction would care. But as i understand it, getting any utility out of the idea of real collapsing wave-functions requires treating at least the atom as if it wasn't, and once we start including atomic scale things we might as well just include everything up to and including the cat.

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