|
Word Gems
exploring self-realization, sacred personhood, and full humanity
Quantum Mechanics
|
Bohr-Einstein debates
EPR
local realism
|
return to "Quantum Mechanics" main-page
Yash Pincha:
To begin understanding what the Paradox says, we must first understand the assumptions that EPR made about our Universe. First, they assumed local realism. Local realism is the idea two particles separated by a large distance in space cannot instantaneously communicate with each other. Essentially, it’s a quick way of saying two things:
First, the Principle of locality: the cause of a physical change must be local. That is, an object is influenced directly only by its immediate surroundings.
Second, the Principle of realism: Properties of objects are real and exist in our physical universe independent of our minds.
Realism also postulates that complete knowledge of a system at a particular moment in time will yield complete knowledge of the system at any other moment in time. In other words, if we know everything about our universe now, we can predict what it will be like a minute later. And although that sounds perfectly plausible, it isn’t.
|