Abstract
The abstract theory of probability and its interpretation are briefly reviewed, and it is demonstrated that the formalism of quantum mechanics satisfies the axioms of probability theory. This refutes the suggestions which have occasionally been made that “classical” probability theory does not apply to quantum mechanics. Several erroneous applications of probability theory to quantum mechanics are examined, and the nature of the errors are exposed.
This is a slightly revised version of ther paper that was originally published in the American Journal of Physics 54, 883–889 (1986). It is reprinted by permission of the copyright holder, the American Association of Physics Teachers.
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References
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© 1989 Kluwer Academic Publishers
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Ballentine, L.E. (1989). Probability Theory in Quantum Mechanics. In: Bitsakis, E.I., Nicolaides, C.A. (eds) The Concept of Probability. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1175-8_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1175-8_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-7023-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-1175-8
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