Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 27, 2025
11:03
An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
8.8K
On a Common Misconception Regarding the de Broglie-Bohm Theory
1School for Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal, Gaußstr. 20, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|December 3, 2020
Summary
The de Broglie-Bohm theory does not use momenta as hidden variables, contrary to common belief. This clarification highlights the theory's actual innovative aspects within quantum mechanics.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Mechanics
- Foundational Physics
Background:
- The de Broglie-Bohm (dBB) theory is a non-relativistic interpretation of quantum mechanics.
- A common misconception posits that dBB theory includes momenta as hidden variables.
Purpose of the Study:
- To address and correct the misconception about momenta in dBB theory.
- To clarify the unique contributions and novelty of the dBB theory.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of the de Broglie-Bohm theory's formulation.
- Comparison of dBB theory with standard quantum mechanics regarding variable assignments.
Main Results:
- The de Broglie-Bohm theory assigns definite positions to quantum objects, not momenta, as hidden variables.
- The misconception regarding momenta is unfounded and obscures the theory's true novelty.
Conclusions:
- The claim that dBB theory uses momenta as hidden variables is incorrect.
- Correcting this misconception reveals the genuine innovative nature of the de Broglie-Bohm theory in quantum foundations.
Related Concept Videos
02:32The de Broglie Wavelength
32.0K
In the macroscopic world, objects that are large enough to be seen by the naked eye follow the rules of classical physics. A billiard ball moving on a table will behave like a particle; it will continue traveling in a straight line unless it collides with another ball, or it is acted on by some other force, such as friction. The ball has a well-defined position and velocity or well-defined momentum, p = mv, which is defined by mass m and velocity v at any given moment. This is the typical...
32.0K
02:18The Bohr Model
78.1K
Following the work of Ernest Rutherford and his colleagues in the early twentieth century, the picture of atoms consisting of tiny dense nuclei surrounded by lighter and even tinier electrons continually moving about the nucleus was well established. This picture was called the planetary model since it pictured the atom as a miniature “solar system” with the electrons orbiting the nucleus like planets orbiting the sun. The simplest atom is hydrogen, consisting of a single proton as the...
78.1K
02:45The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
55.1K
Shortly after de Broglie published his ideas that the electron in a hydrogen atom could be better thought of as being a circular standing wave instead of a particle moving in quantized circular orbits, Erwin Schrödinger extended de Broglie’s work by deriving what is now known as the Schrödinger equation. When Schrödinger applied his equation to hydrogen-like atoms, he was able to reproduce Bohr’s expression for the energy and, thus, the Rydberg formula governing hydrogen spectra.
55.1K
04:08The Uncertainty Principle
30.2K
Werner Heisenberg considered the limits of how accurately one can measure properties of an electron or other microscopic particles. He determined that there is a fundamental limit to how accurately one can measure both a particle’s position and its momentum simultaneously. The more accurate the measurement of the momentum of a particle is known, the less accurate the position at that time is known and vice versa. This is what is now called the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. He...
30.2K
01:18Electron Orbital Model
70.8K
Orbitals are the areas outside of the atomic nucleus where electrons are most likely to reside. They are characterized by different energy levels, shapes, and three-dimensional orientations. The location of electrons is described most generally by a shell or principal energy level, then by a subshell within each shell, and finally, by individual orbitals found within the subshells.
The first shell is closest to the nucleus, and it has only one subshell with a single spherical orbital called the...
The first shell is closest to the nucleus, and it has only one subshell with a single spherical orbital called the...
70.8K
02:35Molecular Orbital Theory I
42.7K
Overview of Molecular Orbital Theory
42.7K