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A common learning goal for modern physics instructors is for students to recognize a difference between the experimental uncertainty of classical physics and the fundamental uncertainty of quantum mechanics. Our studies suggest this…

Physics Education · Physics 2011-09-08 Charles Baily

I explore whether it is possible to make sense of the quantum mechanical description of physical reality by taking the proper subject of physics to be correlation and only correlation, and by separating the problem of understanding the…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2009-10-31 N. David Mermin

The implications of the physical theory of quantum mechanics on the question of realism is much a subject of sustaining interest, while the background questions among physicists on how to think about all the theoretical notion and…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2022-02-23 Otto C. W. Kong

Physicist and Nobel Laureate Richard P. Feynman once remarked ``We choose to examine a phenomenon which is impossible, absolutely impossible, to explain in any classical way, and which has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality,…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2025-08-19 Debadrita Ghosh , Urbasi Sinha

The interpretation of quantum mechanics has been a problem since its founding days. A large contribution to the discussion of possible interpretations of quantum mechanics is given by the so-called impossibility proofs for hidden variable…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2010-02-09 Ronnie Hermens

What is the nature of reality? How should be an answer to this question? At this level, we are so deep that all our concepts are obscure. Quantum theory (QT) is at this level. The quest for interpreting it fails because the clarity of our…

General Physics · Physics 2012-10-19 Frederico R. Pfrimer

Quantum mechanics led to spectacular technological developments, discovery of new constituents of matter and new materials. However there is still no consensus on its interpretation and limitations. Some scientists and scientific writers…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2018-12-19 Marian Kupczynski

This brief survey analyzes the epistemological implications about the role of observer in the interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. As we know, the goal of most interpretations of quantum mechanics is to avoid the apparent intrusion of the…

General Physics · Physics 2008-11-25 Michele Caponigro

A succinct statement and justification of all the principles necessary to understand and evaluate interpretations of quantum mechanics is given. These principles provide strong constraints on interpretations. They imply the particle-like…

General Physics · Physics 2015-05-14 Casey Blood

The paper reviews and discusses four ideas scattered in previous papers of the author. First, objective properties of quantum systems are not associated with observables but are defined by preparations. Second, measurable results of…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2016-07-29 Petr Hajicek

The term "measurement" in quantum theory (as well as in other physical theories) is ambiguous: It is used to describe both an experience - e.g., an observation in an experiment - and an interaction with the system under scrutiny. If doing…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2019-04-03 Arne Hansen , Stefan Wolf

It is argued that the traditional "realist" methodology of physics, according to which human concepts, laws and theories can grasp the essence of reality, is incompatible with the most fruitful interpretation of quantum formalism. The proof…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2011-07-19 M. Ferrero , D. Salgado , J. L. Sanchez-Gomez

Although quantum mechanics is one of our most successful physical theories, there has been a long-standing debate about the interpretation of the wave function---the central object of the theory. Two prominent views are that (i) it…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2012-04-16 Roger Colbeck , Renato Renner

The ontology emerging from quantum field theory and the results following from Bell's theorems allowed the development of an intuitive picture of the microscopic world described by quantum mechanics, that is, we can say that we understand…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2016-06-30 Alberto C. de la Torre

Quantum mechanics marks a radical departure from the classical understanding of Nature, fostering an inherent randomness which forbids a deterministic description; yet the most fundamental departure arises from something different. As shown…

The present study attempts to provide a consistent and coherent account of what the world could be like, given the conceptual framework and results of contemporary quantum theory. It is suggested that standard quantum mechanics can, and…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2012-03-19 Vassilios Karakostas

A common understanding of quantum mechanics (QM) among students and practical users is often plagued by a number of "myths", that is, widely accepted claims on which there is not really a general consensus among experts in foundations of…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2008-11-26 H. Nikolic

The quantum theory of measurement has been a matter of debate for over eighty years. Most of the discussion has focused on theoretical issues with the consequence that operational prescriptions, which are integral to experimental physics,…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2013-09-04 Stephen Boughn , Marcel Reginatto

In a recent result, Frauchiger and Renner argue that if quantum theory accurately describes complex systems like observers who perform measurements, then "we are forced to give up the view that there is one single reality." Following a…

Quantum Physics · Physics 2018-04-11 Jeffrey Bub

To date, quantum mechanics has proven to be our most successful theoretical model. However, it is still surrounded by a "mysterious halo" that can be summarized in a simple but challenging question: Why quantum phenomena are not understood…

History and Philosophy of Physics · Physics 2015-08-18 A. S. Sanz