Why does spin add in quantum mechanics?

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Xian
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Spin
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 2K views
Xian
Messages
25
Reaction score
0
Why is it that spin adds? I mean sure, the classical analogy tells us that angular momentum is additive, but that I feel is a cop out. What inside of the formalism for quantum mechanics tells us that we should be adding spin of two particles?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
It doesn't. You can add spin 1 and spin 1 and get spin 1. Or 3 and 4 and get 2. Or...