CSMSP11 - Reading Questions - Week 9
A Quantum Threat to Special RelativityDavid Z. Albert and Rivka Galchen, Scientific American, March 2009, p. 32-39
Is the moon there when nobody looks? Reality and the quantum theory.
N. David Mermin, Physics Today, April 1985, p. 38-47
| The following are a few guiding questions to keep in mind as you read through the articles for the first time. I'm not asking you to submit your answers to the following questions, just that you keep them in mind as you read, and think a bit about how you would answer them if asked to. |
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What do the terms locality, completeness & realism mean in this context? What do the terms epistemological and ontological mean in this context? You may want to consult a dictionary to see how these terms are typically used. What are some of the historical ideas about the nature of reality, and how have these ideas changed over the years? Does Bell’s Theorem prove that a realist perspective is incorrect? Are there any practical uses that can be made of entangled systems? Does entanglement allow for faster-than-light communication? If so, what kind of information can be communicated? If not, why not? What factors might scientists consider when deciding whether a well-established theory might be wrong? Will a new theory necessarily be radically different from the theory it replaces? |