The interpretation of quantum mechanics

Abstract

It is argued that the reduction of the wavepacket following a measurement is no more than a computational convenience to which no meaning should be attached. In a strict application of quantum mechanics all measuring instruments must be included in a single wavefunction, along the lines of an early important paper of Mott. Thus the activity of physics is treated as the analysis of public information, as conveyed by instruments, with quantum mechanics the accepted analytical procedure rather than a model of objective reality. Finally the classical world of particle trajectories that can be agreed on by all observers is shown to be a natural corollary. Only very simple examples are employed, and all derivations are segregated in appendices, so that the argument (which contains no revolutionary features) may be readily accessible.