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BernieM
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A mathematical model may show that there are two possible states for something in the real world, let's say a coin, that may be either heads or tails; make a computer program to simulate coin flipping and you soon discover that the odds of heads or tails is 50/50. In the real world however, actually flipping a coin, you may discover that there is another state possible ... neither heads nor tails ... when it lands on it's edge, meaning that the odds are not QUITE 50/50. I personally have done this a few times in my life, flipped a coin and have it land and stop on it's edge. But a program with a simple head or tails outcome will never come up with a 'neither heads nor tails' result. I suppose that it could be argued that an 'ideal coin' would be infinitely thin and so could never come to rest on it's edge, so producing a guaranteed heads or tails always result. However, too thin and the edge would act like a knife blade and 'get stuck' in a surface onto which it was tossed if it landed edge first on it's first contact with the surface. A really wide edge would guarantee mostly a neither heads or tails result making the heads or tails result as unlikely as a normal coin coming to rest on it's edge. Between these to extremes of infinitely thin and extremely wide edges, I don't believe you ever really get 100% heads or tails result, free of possible edge landing results of coin flipping. So in the physical, macroscopic realm we will never be able to emulate that mathematical model of coin flipping 100%.
Quantum mechanics is all about probabilities. How does this situation come into play in quantum mechanics? Is there a 'cat isn't in the box this time' outcome? or 'the cat is still both dead and alive' or 'it's both a particle and wave' or 'there is neither a particle or wave there this time' possibilites? If there is no possibility for this 'none of the above conditions', then what is the fundamental reason why not?
Quantum mechanics is all about probabilities. How does this situation come into play in quantum mechanics? Is there a 'cat isn't in the box this time' outcome? or 'the cat is still both dead and alive' or 'it's both a particle and wave' or 'there is neither a particle or wave there this time' possibilites? If there is no possibility for this 'none of the above conditions', then what is the fundamental reason why not?
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