Bohr and Complementarity
The problem posed by quantum mechanics
- Einstein (1924): “We now have two theories of light [as particles and as waves], both indispensable, but, it must be admitted, without any logical connection between them, despite 20 years of colossal effort by theoretical physicists”
Bohr tries to provide this “logical connection” with what he calls complementarity
- “Copenhagen Interpretation”
Complementarity
- Attributes of particles like mass, charge can be well-defined
- But other attributes like position and velocity depend upon the manner in which they are observed
The outcomes of the measurement is intrinsically intertwined with the measurement itself