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Article #3812Question about electron spin
From: Dave Griffiths
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 18:55
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 18:55
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1182 bytes
I've just been reading Roger Penrose's explanation in the Emperor's New Mind of the EPR experiment. In this he claims that it is possible to measure the spin of an electron in three different directions at 120 degrees to each other and obtain the result YES, the spin of the electron is aligned in that direction for each measurement. Surely this is incorrect? He has already shown that if you measure the spin in one direction and get the answer YES, then there is a probability of (1 + cos 120)/2 = 1/4 that a measurement at 120 degrees to this will also give the answer YES. Fine. But surely, with the wave function having collapsed, it's not possible for three measurements at 120 degrees to each other _all_ to give YES? If it is possible, has such a result ever been experimentally confirmed? Please say no. Dave Griffiths
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Newsgroups: sci.physics Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!sun-barr!ames!think.com!yale.edu!ira.uka.de!Germany.EU.net!prim!dave From: prim!dave@germany.eu.net (Dave Griffiths) Subject: Question about electron spin Message-ID: <1992Sep27.185539.594@prim> Organization: Primitive Software Ltd. Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 18:55:39 GMT Lines: 16