Difference between revisions of "Everett branch"
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| − | An '''Everett branch''' is one of the "worlds" in the [[many-worlds interpretation]] of [[quantum mechanics]]. On a naïve | + | An '''Everett branch''' is one of the "worlds" in the [[many-worlds interpretation]] of [[quantum mechanics]]. On a naïve view, the world we perceive around us is all that we have reason to expect exists. However, clever experiments in quantum mechanics tell us that the universe is actually described by a mathematical object called a wavefunction, with our observable universe existing "side-by-side" with many alternatives or "parallel universes". It is [[inferential distance|difficult]] to explain the necessary concepts in just a few sentences, and true understanding requires mathematical grounding. |
==Blog posts== | ==Blog posts== | ||
| − | *[http://lesswrong.com/lw/r8/and_the_winner_is_manyworlds/ And the Winner is ... Many Worlds!] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]] | + | *[http://lesswrong.com/lw/r8/and_the_winner_is_manyworlds/ And the Winner is ... Many Worlds!] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]: An index of posts explaining quantum mechanics and the many-worlds interpretation. |
| − | *[http://lesswrong.com/lw/pb/belief_in_the_implied_invisible/ Belief in the Implied Invisible] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]] | + | *[http://lesswrong.com/lw/pb/belief_in_the_implied_invisible/ Belief in the Implied Invisible] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]: That it's impossible even in principle to observe something sometimes isn't enough to conclude that it doesn't exist. |
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 23:33, 4 September 2009
An Everett branch is one of the "worlds" in the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. On a naïve view, the world we perceive around us is all that we have reason to expect exists. However, clever experiments in quantum mechanics tell us that the universe is actually described by a mathematical object called a wavefunction, with our observable universe existing "side-by-side" with many alternatives or "parallel universes". It is difficult to explain the necessary concepts in just a few sentences, and true understanding requires mathematical grounding.
Blog posts
- And the Winner is ... Many Worlds! by Eliezer Yudkowsky: An index of posts explaining quantum mechanics and the many-worlds interpretation.
- Belief in the Implied Invisible by Eliezer Yudkowsky: That it's impossible even in principle to observe something sometimes isn't enough to conclude that it doesn't exist.
