A novel interpretation of quantum mechanics, first proposed in brief
form by Hugh Everett in 1957, forms the nucleus around which this book
has developed. In his interpretation, Dr. Everett denies the existence
of a separate classical realm and asserts the propriety of considering a
state vector for the whole universe. Because this state vector never
collapses, reality as a whole is rigorously deterministic. This reality,
which is described jointly by the dynamical variables and the state
vector, is not the reality customarily perceived; rather, it is a
reality composed of many worlds. By virtue of the temporal development
of the dynamical variables, the state vector decomposes naturally into
orthogonal vectors, reflecting a continual splitting of the universe
into a multitude of mutually unobservable but equally real worlds, in
each of which every good measurement has yielded a definite result, and
in most of which the familiar statistical quantum laws hold.
The volume contains Dr. Everett's short paper from 1957, "'Relative
State' Formulation of Quantum Mechanics," and a far longer exposition of
his interpretation, entitled "The Theory of the Universal Wave
Function," never before published. In addition, other papers by Wheeler,
DeWitt, Graham, and Cooper and Van Vechten provide further discussion of
the same theme. Together, they constitute virtually the entire world
output of scholarly commentary on the Everett interpretation.
Originally published in 1973.
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