Hidden Variables in Quantum Mechanics
Hidden Variables in Quantum Mechanics
Hidden variables are extra components added to try to banish counterintuitive features of quantum mechanics. There are several different variations of models that describe hidden variables and how they interact with the observable world. This Demonstration covers six possible properties that can be asked of a hidden-variable model. The formal definitions of the six properties are in Details.
There are various relationships among these properties that are described by a Venn diagram with 17 regions. Each region represents a particular combination of these hidden-variable properties. For each region, one can ask if such a hidden-variable model is possible or not.
Tour the Venn diagram. Click a particular region to see whether or not a hidden-variable model satisfying the properties defining that region can be built. The region will be highlighted in green if the answer is yes, and in red if the answer is no. A caption will also appear, describing the math that is underneath the answer. The captions are explained in Details.