Solving the Measurement Problem: Imagine Yourself in a Room

In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of solving the measurement problem and provides an analogy using a person in a room without senses. It also touches on the idea of local hidden variables and the uncertainty principle in the quantum model. The main point is that no instrument can measure the position and speed of a particle perfectly, and different descriptions of what happens depend on the assumptions made.
  • #1
hagopbul
357
36
i tried to explain for some one how we can solve the measurement problem and i went like this

imagine your self in a room and in this room you don't have any sense so you can't see hear touch smell or even taste

but you have a prob attached to your brain but if you don't do the measure you won't be able to know about a man that he is in the same room with you [or woman] so for you

the person for you are possibly in any were in the room in the same time because you can't see him or feel him

so he/she is probably in every where for you
you can't know where she is without doing the test

and this is the same for the atom if i do the test measure i will be able to know all the functions of it [location ,…etc]

and the reason is so obvious it is too small for us even for the smallest instrument.

is it good
 
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  • #2
hagopbul said:
i tried to explain for some one how we can solve the measurement problem and i went like this

imagine your self in a room and in this room you don't have any sense so you can't see hear touch smell or even taste

but you have a prob attached to your brain but if you don't do the measure you won't be able to know about a man that he is in the same room with you [or woman] so for you

the person for you are possibly in any were in the room in the same time because you can't see him or feel him

so he/she is probably in every where for you
you can't know where she is without doing the test

and this is the same for the atom if i do the test measure i will be able to know all the functions of it [location ,…etc]

and the reason is so obvious it is too small for us even for the smallest instrument.

is it good

IMHO, no.
 
  • #3
This description is instrumental "is too small for the smallest instrument"
The problem with the measurement is much deeper.
 
  • #4
I think analogies can sometimes be useful aids to understanding.I can sort of see where you are going with yours but perhaps you may wish to clarify it and develop it further.
 
  • #5
olgranpappy said:
IMHO, no.

why no?
 
  • #6
hagopbul said:
why no?

Several reasons. The most obvious being that we don't know what a measurement "is" (there is a mathematical definition, but it is not at all obvious how that translates into what we do in experiments), or even if there is such as thing as a distinct measurement "operation". We DO know that is it far more fundamental than it just being about experimental limitations (the "size of the probe" etc).
Hence, the the basic premise of the explanation -that we know how to solve the measurement problem- is flawed.
 
  • #7
hagopbul said:
i tried to explain for some one how we can solve the measurement problem and i went like this

imagine your self in a room and in this room you don't have any sense so you can't see hear touch smell or even taste

but you have a prob attached to your brain but if you don't do the measure you won't be able to know about a man that he is in the same room with you [or woman] so for you

the person for you are possibly in any were in the room in the same time because you can't see him or feel him

so he/she is probably in every where for you
you can't know where she is without doing the test

and this is the same for the atom if i do the test measure i will be able to know all the functions of it [location ,…etc]

and the reason is so obvious it is too small for us even for the smallest instrument.

is it good

I would say... not quite, but for a different reason. You are explaining a situation where there is a definite person there with a definite location, and you are just unsure of where the person is. This implies local hidden variables. Local hidden variables have been disproven.

There are a few different possible descriptions of what actually happens that depend on your assumptions.
 
Last edited:
  • #8
hagopbul said:
and this is the same for the atom if i do the test measure i will be able to know all the functions of it [location ,…etc]

and the reason is so obvious it is too small for us even for the smallest instrument.

is it good


The quantum model explains that every particle behaves as a wave and its wave function collapses when you try to catch an observable. Since you can get more than an eigen value the observable would have a standard deviation and this brings to the Heisenerg's Uncertainty principle that states that no instrument would be able to measure position and speed perfectly for any particle.
 
  • #9
kote said:
I would say... not quite, but for a different reason. You are explaining a situation where there is a definite person there with a definite location, and you are just unsure of where the person is. This implies local hidden variables. Local hidden variables have been disproven.

There are a few different possible descriptions of what actually happens that depend on your assumptions.

no i am not

i am saying there is 2 humans one is me and the second are in the room but i can't see him

not that i am not sure where he is or not if i do a test i will see him
no test he is not in a specific location
there is a possibility that he is in any where
 

Related to Solving the Measurement Problem: Imagine Yourself in a Room

What is the measurement problem?

The measurement problem is a fundamental question in quantum mechanics that addresses the issue of how to explain the transition from a quantum system in a superposition of states to a definite outcome when it is measured by an observer.

Why is the measurement problem important?

The measurement problem is important because it challenges our understanding of the fundamental nature of reality and raises questions about the role of consciousness in the measurement process.

How do scientists approach the measurement problem?

Scientists approach the measurement problem through various interpretations of quantum mechanics, such as the Copenhagen interpretation, the many-worlds interpretation, and the decoherence theory. These interpretations offer different explanations for the measurement process.

What is the role of measurement in quantum mechanics?

Measurement plays a crucial role in quantum mechanics as it is the only way to extract information about a quantum system. However, the measurement process is still not fully understood and is a subject of ongoing research and debate.

What are some proposed solutions to the measurement problem?

Some proposed solutions to the measurement problem include the idea that the observer's consciousness collapses the wave function, the theory of decoherence, and the many-worlds interpretation which suggests that all possible outcomes of a measurement exist in different parallel universes.

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