Quantum Mechanics and the Nature of Determinism

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The discussion revolves around the nature of particles in quantum mechanics, particularly their movement and the implications of the uncertainty principle. Participants explore whether particles can "jump" in and out of objects and clarify that particles do not have definite positions or momenta until measured. They emphasize that while quantum mechanics provides a probabilistic framework, the underlying wave function evolves deterministically until observation occurs. The conversation also touches on different interpretations of quantum mechanics, such as the Copenhagen and Bohmian interpretations, highlighting the complexities of defining particle behavior in quantum terms. Ultimately, the nature of particle behavior remains a nuanced topic, with ongoing debates about determinism and randomness in quantum mechanics.
  • #31
The Dagda said:
I agree but I was talking more broadly. Thus the confusion, of course in experiment the model is perfectly deterministic given the assumption that the wave is real, that does not lead to the conclusion though that QM is deterministic, that is an unknown.

If that is all that matters to you then you have MWI, and are no doubt happy with its conclusions, however not everyone agrees that this means QM is fundamentally deterministic nor does there seem to be experimentally any indication that it isn't "random" or at least ill defined. If you actually look up the definition of deterministic, probability is not the least of your concerns.

I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're saying or what the premise of your argument is. You seem to be mistaken in believing that stage 1 deterministic time evolution demands MWI by itself. This assuredly is not the case, and is only an interpretation of the quantum formalism. Of course measurement outcomes are probalistic, but the pre-measurement probability distribution evovles in a perfectly deterministic manner in any interpretational framework. The philosophy of quantum mechanics is without a doubt an exceedingly complex and counter-intuitive endeavor, but I think you're getting hung up on a non-problem.
 

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