Bohr’s Correspondence Principle
Updated 2026-09-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Bohr's correspondence principle holds that quantum theory must yield results consistent with classical physics in the limit of large quantum numbers or macroscopic conditions. It played a key role in the discovery of quantum mechanics and stands as the cornerstone of Bohr's philosophical interpretation, tied closely to his complementarity thesis and the Copenhagen interpretation.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Constrain new theories: require a new theory to reproduce the old one's verified predictions where the old one succeeded. - Take the limit: push the new formula toward the macroscopic limit and check whether it reduces to the classical result. - Draw the boundary: use the seam between old and new to mark each theory's domain of validity.
Anchor fast decisions
The principle works because a new theory must recover the old theory's success wherever the old one was well verified. At large quantum numbers the relative gap between adjacent energy levels shrinks, so the quantum description approaches the classical one numerically. Classical mechanics is thereby retained as a limiting case rather than discarded, and that requirement constrains what form any candidate new theory may take.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- plato.stanford.eduhttps://plato.stanford.edu/entries/bohr-correspondence/verified
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