Discussion Overview
The discussion centers around the applicability of Bell's inequalities, particularly in the context of a macroscopic example involving coins. Participants explore the implications of this example for the understanding of local causality and non-locality, questioning the conventional interpretations of Bell's theorem and its experimental violations.
Discussion Character
- Debate/contested
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
Main Points Raised
- One participant argues that Bell's inequalities are often viewed as a condition for locally causal theories, and their violation suggests non-locality, but presents a coin example that consistently violates the inequality.
- The coin example involves a special box that biases the coins based on a programmable function, leading to results that violate Bell's inequality despite being locally causal.
- Another participant draws an analogy between the coin experiment and the situation of having a glove left behind, questioning the nature of the correlations produced.
- Some participants suggest that the results of the coin experiment, while violating Bell's inequalities, do not imply any "spooky" action at a distance, as the outcomes are predetermined by the box's programming.
- A later reply discusses the connection between the coin example and EPR pairs, suggesting that both scenarios involve outcomes that are not definite until a measurement is made, which may lead to violations of Bell's inequalities.
- There is a suggestion that the instruction sets for producing outcomes in both the coin experiment and entangled pairs may need to be paired to explain the observed correlations.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express differing views on the implications of the coin example for Bell's inequalities, with some agreeing that the results challenge conventional interpretations while others question the validity of the analogy and the conclusions drawn. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the broader implications for local realism and non-locality.
Contextual Notes
Participants note that the outcomes of the coin experiment are influenced by the specific programming of the box, which raises questions about the assumptions underlying the applicability of Bell's inequalities in this context. The discussion highlights the complexity of defining local realism and the conditions under which Bell's inequalities apply.