Exploring the EPR Paradox: Reconciling QM and SR

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The discussion centers on the EPR paradox and the relationship between quantum mechanics (QM) and special relativity (SR). Participants explore the implications of entangled particles, particularly how their wavefunctions collapse simultaneously from different observers' perspectives, raising questions about the physical reality of these particles prior to measurement. The conversation highlights the challenge of reconciling local physicality with the non-local nature of entanglement, suggesting that interpretations of QM may need to account for these complexities. While some argue that this does not violate SR, others express concerns about the implications for understanding the nature of reality and the wavefunction. Overall, the thread emphasizes the ongoing debate about the foundational principles of QM and their compatibility with relativistic frameworks.
  • #61
jsg, read the forum rules - don't highjack threads with off-base ideas.
 
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  • #62
Yes, that is interesting. My personal perspective, though, assigns nothing special to measurement or even knowledge in the quantum world beyond the principle of least action. As an analogy, the path that water "chooses" to flow down a mountainside is set before it makes its journey. There are not an infinite number of possible paths, but one, which is predestined (i.e. the path of least resistance). The measurement of a quantum system would be analogous to carving a trench at some point in the mountainside - yes, the water's flow does not remain unaffected by this but that does not give the measurement itself any more of an elevated status than the mountain's pre-existing topography had the trench not been dug...
 

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