Would a meeting of local realists fill a phone booth?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the hypothetical scenario of whether a meeting of local realists, particularly in the context of quantum mechanics (QM), would be able to fit in a phone booth. It explores the identity and beliefs of local realists while incorporating humor and personal anecdotes about the size of phone booths.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that local realists might be a small minority within the broader community, questioning if they could fill a phone booth.
  • Another participant humorously questions the size of the phone booth, indicating a need for clarity on the dimensions involved.
  • A participant shares personal experimental findings about fitting in a phone booth, implying that it can accommodate at least two people comfortably.
  • Another participant speculates that if the booth fits two people comfortably, it could fit more, but raises concerns about adhering to "experimental guidelines" and the need for fun.
  • One participant expresses that the thread is pointless, suggesting a lack of seriousness in the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the seriousness or relevance of the discussion, with some engaging humorously while others express skepticism about the thread's purpose.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes varying interpretations of the phone booth's size and the implications of fitting multiple people within it, reflecting differing assumptions about physical space and the nature of local realists.

wm
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I wonder: Would a meeting of dedicated local realists, to discuss QM, fill a phone booth? (We appear to be such a small minority among the great range and depth of PF participants.)

However, before gathering in the phone booth, let's each take advantage of the assembled world media and make an open public confession. (You know, like world-leaders do before their gatherings.)

In fact, what we could each do is this: We could read the rough draft that we have each brought along for our meeting. (For the first business of the meeting is to: "draft the first clause of membership". Though we have other fun purposes in mind too; including local-realist analysis of quantum experiments without one reference to a loop-hole.)

Here's what I would read, if pressed today: ''I believe that a dedicated local realist accepts something like the following combination:-- On locality: That Einstein's view of locality represents a fine starting point for a general definition of locality. On realism: That external reality exists, independent of observation, and may have properties which are unobservable.'' (I think that last bit refers to the linear polarisation of a random photon, but ... it's a rough draft, remember.)

Question: Will we fill the phone-booth?

Regards, wm
 
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How big is the phone booth?
 
Andy said:
How big is the phone booth?

Hi Andy; from the many experiments that I've done over the years, here's my findings: It's always big enough for me and my girl-friend.

Am repeating the experiment right now ... old results confirmed OK!

So: Should I ask her to leave?

Regards wm
 
If its big enough for you and you girlfriend then i am assuming that it is quite an easy fit and that neither of you are very fat. This would lead me to conclude that you would be able to fit at least 3 people in there comfortably but many more if you started putting anorexic people in.
 
Andy said:
If its big enough for you and you girlfriend then i am assuming that it is quite an easy fit and that neither of you are very fat. This would lead me to conclude that you would be able to fit at least 3 people in there comfortably but many more if you started putting anorexic people in.

That might not fit the experimental guide lines: we need to leave some room for Fun. Also: Local realists (and Fun) tend not to be anorexic.
 
This thread is pointless.
 

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