= Stern-Gerlach experiment
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{wiki=Stern–Gerlach_experiment}
A <Stern-Gerlach experiment> separates atomic beams according to a component of their <magnetic moment> in a nonuniform <magnetic field>. For an appropriate two-state <spin> system, calibrated outputs distinguish the two <spin> <eigenvalues>; <Stern-Gerlach expectation estimation> explains how repeated fresh preparations turn channel counts into an <expectation value>.
The decisive contrast is between two separated components of an <atomic beam> and the continuous spread predicted for randomly oriented classical <magnetic moments>. Neither component need be an infinitely narrow spot: <velocity> spread and the resolving power of the <scientific instrument> affect the spatial image. The apparatus converts an internal <magnetic moment> into a displacement large enough to inspect, connecting <angular momentum eigenstates> to macroscopic evidence.
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