Final answer:
Measurement in quantum mechanics causes a system to commit to a particular state and is inherently probabilistic due to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. It does not reveal a pre-measurement state but alters the system in a significant manner.
Step-by-step explanation:
In quantum mechanics, the act of measurement plays a significant role in determining the state of a system. When a measurement is performed, it can trigger a quantum system to take one of its allowed states, collapsing the wave function and defining properties like position and momentum within the probabilistic limits set by Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Unlike classical mechanics, where properties can often be measured with high precision without affecting the system, in quantum mechanics, measurement fundamentally alters the system and limits the degree to which properties can be known.
This notion contradicts the idea that a measurement can reveal the state of the system before the measurement was made. In fact, such a retrodictive claim is not supported by the probabilistic nature of quantum systems. Instead, the probabilistic interpretation suggests that we can only predict the probabilities of finding a system in a particular state upon measurement.
The discussion surrounding measurement in quantum mechanics is embedded in multiple concepts such as wave-particle duality, the probabilistic interpretation of quantum mechanics, and the quantum nature of particles, all of which are foundational to understanding the behavior of subatomic particles.