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Article #1016

What is not being conserved?

#1016
From: Kenneth Tolman
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 03:38
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   In QM there is a probability that a photon will end up "hitting" a
certain spot.  If there is only one photon, and it has a nondetermined
end point, then some quantity is not being conserved.  Consider if I threw
a ball, and then it appeared randomly.  How can there be equal and opposite
reaction unless it is going to a specific place?

   Obviously I have something wrong.  Does a photon have absolutely zero
momentum?  I thought that the idea behind solar sailing was to take 
advantage of incredibly small momentums.

  The other possibility is that it retroactively changes the transmitter.
This seems pretty dubious.
   
  Any nondeterminisitic phenomena has this property.  In radioactive decay,
the unknown is time.  There never has been postulated a conservation of time,
so this violates no laws.  Also, the amount of time an electron is coupled
is a function of time, but again time is a friendly thing.

Comments?
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Message-ID: <1992Apr9.213832.1911@hellgate.utah.edu>
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!hellgate.utah.edu!asylum.utah.edu!tolman
From: tolman%asylum.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Kenneth Tolman)
Subject: What is not being conserved?
Date: 9 Apr 92 21:38:32 MDT
Message-ID: <1992Apr9.213832.1911@hellgate.utah.edu>
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept
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