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Hidden variables and the two theorems of John Bell

N. David Mermin

N. David Mermin

  • Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-2501

Rev. Mod. Phys. 65, 803 – Published 1 July, 1993Errata Rev. Mod. Phys. 85, 919 (2013); Rev. Mod. Phys. 88, 039902 (2016); Rev. Mod. Phys. 89, 049901 (2017)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.65.803

Abstract

Although skeptical of the prohibitive power of no-hidden-variables theorems, John Bell was himself responsible for the two most important ones. I describe some recent versions of the lesser known of the two (familiar to experts as the "Kochen-Specker theorem") which have transparently simple proofs. One of the new versions can be converted without additional analysis into a powerful form of the very much better known "Bell's Theorem," thereby clarifying the conceptual link between these two results of Bell.

Errata

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