PREDICTABILITY OF EVENTS 301 



Considering an atom alone in the world in State 3, 

 the classical theory would have asked, and hoped to 

 answer, the question, What will it do next? The quan- 

 tum theory substitutes the question, Which will it do 

 next? Because it admits only two lower states for the 

 atom to go to. Further, it makes no attempt to find a 

 definite answer, but contents itself with calculating the 

 respective odds on the jumps to State 1 and State 2. 

 The quantum physicist does not fill the atom with 

 gadgets for directing its future behaviour, as the classical 

 physicist would have done; he fills it with gadgets de- 

 termining the odds on its future behaviour. He studies 

 the art of the bookmaker not of the trainer. 



Thus in the structure of the world as formulated in 

 the new quantum theory it is predetermined that of 

 500 atoms now in State 3, approximately 400 will go 

 on to State 1 and 100 to State 2 — in so far as anything 

 subject to chance fluctuations can be said to be pre- 

 determined. The odds of 4 to 1 find their appropriate 

 representation in the picture of the atom; that is to say, 

 something symbolic of a 4 : 1 ratio is present in each of 

 the 500 atoms. But there are no marks distinguishing 

 the atoms belonging to the group of 100 from the 400. 

 Probably most physicists would take the view that 

 although the marks are not yet shown in the picture, 

 they are nevertheless present in Nature; they belong to 

 an elaboration of the theory which will come in good 

 time. The marks, of course, need not be in the atom 

 itself; they may be in the environment which will 

 interact with it. For example, we may load dice in such 

 a way that the odds are 4 to 1 on throwing a 6. Both 

 those dice which turn up 6 and those which do not 

 have these odds written in their constitution — by a 

 displaced position of the centre of gravity. The result 



