Why do physicists disagree on quantum interpretations?

An interpretation of quantum mechanics attempts to explain how mathematical theory corresponds to experienced reality, yet a century of debate has left physicists without a consensus. Contending schools of thought differ on whether quantum mechanics is deterministic, local, or real, leading to varied frameworks such as the Copenhagen interpretation and the many-worlds interpretation. Despite rigorous experimental success, no single interpretation has been proven to best represent reality.

What we know

• Interpretations of quantum mechanics attempt to explain how its mathematical theory corresponds to experienced reality. [2]
• Interpretations differ on fundamental questions such as whether quantum mechanics is deterministic or stochastic, local or nonlocal, and real. [2]
• The Copenhagen interpretation views quantum mechanics as intrinsically indeterministic and rejects counterfactual definiteness. [4]
• The many-worlds interpretation asserts that the universal wave function is objectively real with no wave function collapse. [3]

Still open

• Despite a century of debate, no consensus has been reached among physicists and philosophers regarding which interpretation best represents reality.

Where to go next

• a case in pointWhat is the Copenhagen interpretation?
• how it workedHow does the many-worlds interpretation work?
• compared withWhat are minority quantum interpretations?
• what caused itWhat is quantum decoherence?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the history of quantum physics?
• an unexpected connectionHow did Hugh Everett's formulation become known as many-worlds?Hugh Everett originally proposed his ideas as the relative state formulation in 1957, only for physicist Bryce DeWitt to popularize and rename it as the many-worlds interpretation in the 1970s.

Sources

• [1]interpretation of quantum mechanics (Wikidata Q899137) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Interpretations of quantum mechanics · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Many-worlds interpretation · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Copenhagen interpretation · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Minority interpretations of quantum mechanics · CC BY-SA 4.0