Why was the name of a group of opinions about the meaning of quantum mechanics called the Copenhagen Interpretation, relative to the Danish city of Copenhagen and not the name of a scientist named Copenhagen? Please correct me if this is wrong, although the scientist Niels Bohr was the only one from Copenhagen and the others were from Germany and Switzerland, so why the Copenhagen School?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
4
-
2$\begingroup$ Wikipedia "Origin and Use of the Term" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_interpretation has a discussion. Apparently Heisenberg worked for Bohr in Copenhagen. $\endgroup$– aboDec 18, 2022 at 7:05
-
4$\begingroup$ The name reflects not the place of birth of the scientists who developed it but the place where it was developed. They all worked in an institute in Copenhagen, where Bohr was the director. $\endgroup$– Alexandre EremenkoDec 18, 2022 at 16:44
-
$\begingroup$ A school of thought centered on a group in Copenhagen… $\endgroup$– Jon CusterDec 18, 2022 at 23:10
-
$\begingroup$ Your comment is best as an answer, thank you all. @AlexandreEremenko + abo $\endgroup$– user 123456789Dec 19, 2022 at 4:40
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
Following the advise of @user 123456789 I expand my comment as an answer:
The name reflects not the place of birth of the scientists who developed it but the place where it was developed. They all worked in an institute in Copenhagen, where Bohr was the director.
From Wikipedia: Now known as the Niels Bohr Institute, it opened on 3 March 1921, with Bohr as its director. Bohr's institute served as a focal point for researchers into quantum mechanics and related subjects in the 1920s and 1930s, when most of the world's best known theoretical physicists spent some time in his company. Early arrivals included Hans Kramers from the Netherlands, Oskar Klein from Sweden, George de Hevesy from Hungary, Wojciech Rubinowicz from Poland and Svein Rosseland from Norway.
At some later dates Max Born, Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrodinger spent time in the instisute.
answered Dec 19, 2022 at 5:52