I am not a boy because my parents observed my penis at the 12 week echo. I am a boy because the sperm cell that made me, carried the right chromosome. It was decided at fertilization. Even if my parents never observed me, I would still be a boy.

The experiment described in the Veritasium video splits a particle in an electron and a proton. They must have opposite spin and that is measured at the time of observation. Than there’s a whole discussion about faster than light communication, but if the spin is given at the moment of creation, both will have the opposite spin from the start. It can still be random and measurements will still have a 25% failure rate.

What am I missing? Can the spin change between creation and measurement?

What happens if a particle doesn’t get observed, does it not have spin?

  • VoterFrog@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    2 months ago

    It sounds like you’re asking why local hidden variables can’t explain the experimental results? But a huge part of the video is spent explaining this so I’m assuming that isn’t what you mean. So I’m not sure what it is exactly that you’re asking. Could you elaborate on how what you’re suggesting differs from the local hidden variable explanation?

    ETA: I think you are asking about hidden variables but maybe don’t realize it because it was brushed over in the video. When she’s discussing the possible strategies for how the particles would decide their orientation, she says there are only 2 strategies that work. Your strategy is one that doesn’t and here’s why I think that is.

    Say your electron is created with 0 degree spin. When deflected with a 0 degree detector, the electron goes up and the positron goes down 100% of the time. Great. But what about the 120 degree detector? Well the electron goes up 3/4 of the time and down 1/4. The positron goes up 1/4 and goes down 3/4. But this can’t be. If the electron goes up, the positron must go down. So in order for it to work, they’d need to pick one of the strategies she talks about in the video. They need to agree on how they’d respond to each of the orientations separately, rather than just agree on a spin direction at creation.