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On the Principle of Superposition in Quantum Mechanics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2018

G.F.D. Duff
G.F.D. Duff*
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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The principle of superposition of states requires that the states of a dynamical system form a linear vector space. This hypothesis of linearity has usually been regarded as a fundamental postulate in quantum mechanics, of a kind that cannot be explained by classical concepts. Indeed, Dirac [2, p. 14] comments that "the superposition that occurs in quantum mechanics is of an essentially different nature from any occurring in the classical theory, as is shown by the fact that the quantum superposition principle demands indeterminacy in the results of observations in order to be capable of a sensible physical interpretation."

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Mathematical Bulletin , Volume 7 , Issue 1 , March 1964 , pp. 77 - 83
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Mathematical Society 1964

References

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