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Hugh Everett III

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Hugh Everett III was an American physicist whose 1957 Princeton doctoral thesis proposed the relative state formulation of quantum mechanics, later popularized as the many-worlds interpretation. It holds that the wavefunction never collapses; instead every possible outcome of a quantum measurement occurs, each in its own branching universe, which removes the special, observer-dependent role measurement plays in Niels Bohr's Copenhagen interpretation. The idea drew little attention at the time, and Everett left academic physics shortly afterward for a career in Cold War defense operations research.

Facts
Birth Year
1930 1
Death Year
1982 1
Field
Physics 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Held Differently

Quantum Theory, Theories

Everett's 1957 relative state formulation, the many-worlds interpretation, holds the wavefunction never collapses and every measurement outcome occurs in its own branching universe, a different account of quantum mechanics from Bohr's Copenhagen collapse rather than a claim that Bohr's equations are wrong; which interpretation is correct remains genuinely unresolved among physicists today.

Sources
1. Hugh Everett III (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Quote, Lead section
Hugh Everett III (; November 11, 1930 – July 19, 1982) was an American physicist who proposed the relative state interpretation of quantum mechanics.
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1. Hugh Everett III (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Quantum TheoryView the Source
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