Why banishing irrational numbers could trigger a revolution in quantum theory
newscientist.com
Physicists are asking whether stripping irrational numbers from quantum theory could erase its strangest features and rewrite a century of physics.
Quantum MechanicsMathematical PlatonismOccam's RazorConstructivism
Theory Briefing
- Quantum theory has relied on irrational numbers for a century, but some physicists now argue they may be the source of its most baffling features.
- Removing irrational numbers from the mathematical framework could, in theory, eliminate quantum weirdness rather than just describe it.
- If the overhaul works, it would mark the biggest upheaval in physics since quantum theory was first established.