Physics Lournal

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de Broglie-Bohm Theory

Referenced in

Indeterminism in Physics, Classical Chaos and Bohmian Mechanics. Are Real Numbers Really Real?

It is common procedure to describe the initial conditions of some classical dynamical physical system, with real numbers, which contain an infinite amount of information. It is argued that a finite volume of space can't contain infinite information, hence real numbers are not physically relevant, as their series of bits are truly random. Additionally, these numbers are more accurately termed "random numbers". An alternative Classical Mechanics is proposed, which is empirically equivalent, but uses only finite-information numbers. The alternative mechanics is non-deterministic, despite the use of deterministic equations. Both the alternative classical mechanics, and quantum theories can be supplemented in such a way that the resulting theory is deterministic. Most physicists supplement classical theory with real numbers, assumed to have some physical existence, while rejecting Bohmian mechanics, as supplemented, arguing that Bohmian positions have no physical reality.