RE: Cats and quantum computers have more in common that one may think of…

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There are some pop media sciency figures that sometimes suggest that there is something logically contradictory about quantum physics. I've yet to encounter a case where quantum physics is indeed contradictory.

An example of contradiction they sometimes give is of a particle being at two places at once. Well what's contradictory about that? The only way to make it contradictory is to add the statement that "if x is at point A, then it cannot at the same time be at point B", which will of course make the statement self-contradictory.

The only true contradiction is to say that something both is and is not the case at the same time, for example "a particle is and is not in two places at the same time". If a physicist ever tried to claim something like that, none of his equations would make sense.

So I don't worry about contradictions. It's usually non-philosophers who haven't studied logic who think there's something contradictory about the quantum world.

Non-intuitive, yes, but that's different.



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The double slit experiment is very funny with this respect. You may want to have a look to this old post of mine.

The only true contradiction is to say that something both is and is not the case at the same time, for example "a particle is and is not in two places at the same time"

Another point is quantum mechanics is that it tells you that the position is not uniquely defined. Everything is probabilistic which is one of the complications in its understanding. Another complication is that a particle is a wave. That does not help.

In short, the quantum world is tough, but exciting!

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