Kochen-Specker theorem

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In quantum mechanics, the Kochen-Specker theorem is a certain "no go" theorem proved by Simon Kochen and Ernst Specker in 1967. It places certain constraints on the permissible types of hidden variable theories which try to explain the apparent randomness of quantum mechanics as a deterministic theory featuring hidden states. The theorem is a complement to Bell's inequality.

The theorem proves that there is a contradiction between two basic assumptions of hidden variable theories: that all observables have definite values at any given time, and that the values of those variables are intrinsic and independent of the device used to measure them.

[edit] External links

• Carsten Held, The Kochen-Specker Theorem, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy *[1]

• Kochen-Specker theorem on arxiv.org