Re: "Naive Realism" and QM

From: scerir <scerir.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 22:55:51 +0200

Godfrey:
> My point, if I can break it down a bit,
> is that the amplitudes correspond,
> not to "things" but to processes
> and that what the amplitudes let you
> compute are relative probabilities for
> the occurrences of such processes.

Maybe. Amplitudes of (whatever) waves
satisfy linear equations. So, amplitudes
combine linearly when several paths are -
in principle - possible. On the contrary,
the intensity of waves, that is to say
the energy flux, is quadratic in the field
amplitudes. So, intensities do not combine
linearly. If we imagine there is a relation
between the energy flux and the number of
particles crossing a given (unit) area (this
can be the quantum principle, or the quantum
postulate) we also imagine there is a relation
between the energy flux - quadratic in the
field amplitudes - and the probability for
those particles crossing that (unit) area.
We can also imagine now there is only one
particle flying ....
Regards,
serafino
Received on Thu Aug 18 2005 - 16:56:47 PDT