Ghostly action at a distance: A non-technical explanation of the Bell inequality

Mark G. Alford

doi:10.1119/1.4945408

Ghostly action at a distance: A non-technical explanation of the Bell inequality

Mark G. Alford

Department of Physics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a non-mathematical explanation of Bell's inequality. Using the inequality, we show how the results of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) experiments violate the principle of strong locality. This indicates, given some reasonable-sounding assumptions, that some sort of fasterthan- light influence is present in nature. We discuss the implications, emphasizing the relationship between EPR and the Principle of Relativity, the distinction between causal influences and signals, and the tension between EPR and determinism.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	448-457
Number of pages	10
Journal	American Journal of Physics
Volume	84
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1119/1.4945408
State	Published - Jun 1 2016

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title = "Ghostly action at a distance: A non-technical explanation of the Bell inequality",

abstract = "We present a non-mathematical explanation of Bell's inequality. Using the inequality, we show how the results of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) experiments violate the principle of strong locality. This indicates, given some reasonable-sounding assumptions, that some sort of fasterthan- light influence is present in nature. We discuss the implications, emphasizing the relationship between EPR and the Principle of Relativity, the distinction between causal influences and signals, and the tension between EPR and determinism.",

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Ghostly action at a distance: A non-technical explanation of the Bell inequality

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