RE: [asa] Spooky Action At A Distance: Still Spooky

The superposition principle and entanglement are the counterintuitive
elements in quantum mechanics. Superposition of states means that one
does not know in which of two states an electron can be. Still one knows
that there is an electron. Measurements would force the electron in
either one of the two states and knowing the state means we can only
give a probabilistic knowledge of which state the electron will be
forced. Entanglement means that two particles, say, can be separated by
large distances in space but have the effect of measurement on the state
of one the particles force the far-away particle into a particular
state.

Moorad

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Dave Wallace
Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 8:31 AM
Cc: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: Re: [asa] Spooky Action At A Distance: Still Spooky

Rich Blinne wrote:

> Kind of. Physicists must drive lawyers crazy. :-)
>

Not just the lawyers! I can't find the book right now but it was
something I read not long ago to the effect that if you don't find
quantum physics scandalous, you simply don't understand.

>> Quantum theory suggests that disturbing
>> one particle can instantaneously determine the properties of a
>> particle with which it is 'entangled', no matter how far away it is.
>> This would violate the usual rule of locality: that local behaviour
is
>> governed by local events
>>

As I recall the same book described an experiment such as the one George

talks about in the article below which I found by googling "quantum
physics scandal understand".

Effects can be neither spatially nor temporally local in cases where the

laboratory is the universe and distance is measured in light years.

http://www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/Philosophy/PSCF3-99Murphy.html

Quantum entanglement is not only spatial but temporal, as Wheeler has
pointed out in his discussion of "delayed choice" experiments.37
Wheeler's example, observing light from a quasar which passes through
the "gravitational lens" of an intervening galaxy, dramatically
illustrates this. In such a case, there may be two images of the quasar.

A present day terrestrial observer can decide what experimental setup to

use to observe individual photons from the quasar in order to determine
whether a photon has traveled along both paths around the galaxy or
along only one. That choice today, in some sense, determines what was
the case billions of years ago.

Dave W

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Received on Fri Apr 20 08:56:25 2007