Homer nodded: von Neumann's surprising oversight

DOI10.1007/S10701-018-0197-5zbMATH Open1415.81010OpenAlexW3102311139WikidataQ61940263 ScholiaQ61940263MaRDI QIDQ1735902FDOQ1735902

Authors R. Schack, N. David Mermin

Publication date 29 March 2019

Published in Foundations of Physics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.10311

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

History of mathematics in the 19th century (01A55) General and philosophical questions in quantum theory (81P05) History of quantum theory (81-03)

Abstract: We review the famous no-hidden-variables theorem in John von Neumann's 1932 book on the mathematical foundations of quantum mechanics. We describe the notorious gap in von Neumann's argument, pointed out by Grete Hermann in 1935 and, more famously, by John Bell in 1966. We disagree with recent papers claiming that Hermann and Bell failed to understand what von Neumann was actually doing.

Recommendations

• Von Neumann's impossibility proof: mathematics in the service of rhetorics
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Cites work

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5977113 (Why is no real title available?)
• On the Problem of Hidden Variables in Quantum Mechanics
• Speakable and unspeakable in quantum mechanics
• Von Neumann's impossibility proof: mathematics in the service of rhetorics
• von Neumann's `No hidden variables' proof: a re-appraisal

Cited in

(6)

• Grete Hermann and effective methods in geometry
• Grete Henry-Hermann: Philosophy -- mathematics -- quantum mechanics. Texts on natural philosophy and epistemology, mathematical-physical contributions and selected correspondence from the years 1925 to 1982
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 826812 (Why is no real title available?)
• Von Neumann's theorem revisited
• A note on Bell's theorem logical consistency
• von Neumann's `No hidden variables' proof: a re-appraisal

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