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From: meron@cars3.uchicago.edu
Subject: Re: Open Letter to Professor Penrose
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Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 03:48:23 GMT
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In article <4e8v27$55r@bud.shadow.net>, Michael Cervantes <cervante@shadow.net> writes:
>
>>An electron is not a classical particle with an indeterminate position, 
>>because it isn't a classical particle at all.  It's precise location isn't
>>indeterminate.  It just doesn't have a precise location.  It's something which
>>isn't well described either as a classical particle or a classical wave,
>>because it isn't either one of them.  The Copenhagen interpretation of QM
>>is a patchwork of theories designed to describe macroscopic observations,
>>providing an intuition for things we can't observe directly by analogy with
>>things we can observe.  There just isn't anything mystical about it.
>
>Your claim that an electron has no  precise location is impossible. 
>Regardless of current physics theories, the law of identity dictate that 
>a thing must be where it is. It follows that it can't be where it is not. 
>The assertion that electron or photons have no precise location and 
>wave/particle duality are both necessarily false. While I accept that sub 
>atomic particles are not necessarily classical particles or waves, it 
>does not follow that they are both. In fact, they can't be.
>
You should really get out of the habit of expecting that Mother Nature 
must follow what you consider reasonable.  Physics is about finding 
what the laws of nature are, not dictating them.

Mati Meron			| "When you argue with a fool,
meron@cars3.uchicago.edu	|  chances are he is doing just the same"
