Re:Question about Q-phys (Score 2, Informative)

I've been curious what is the justification for support of:

• particles are in multiple simultaneous states until measured causing the distributed probabilities to collapse into a definite known state

over the seemingly more 'classical':

• the particle has a definite position and momentum, but our measuring devices are too clumsy / interactive to measure one without affecting the other before another measurement can be made. For example if we measure something by zinging it with a photon and remeasuring the (same?) photon after it interacts with it, then it causes it to do something else before we can zing it again.

What you are suggesting is a hidden variables theory. Basically, each quantum particle should "know" the results of all possible measurements that someone might perform upon it, and act accordingly.

The problem is that experimental results rule out any "reasonable" hidden variables theory! For more information, check out the EPR Paradox and Bell's Inequality.