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steveJOBS
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I'm not sure why schrodinger proposed his cat in a box experiment. Can anyone say why?
Although it does indeed illustrate the superposition principle, Schrodinger's point was that something was wrong with quantum mechanics as it was then (around 1935) understood. The problem is that the dead-alive superposition state in which the cat is neither dead nor alive until we open the box makes no sense and shouldn't be expected to happen - but there was nothing in the current understanding of QM to explain why it didn't. It took another few decades and the discovery of quantum decoherence to resolve this problem.AdaggerA said:It illustrates the superposition theorem in quantum mechanics which states that if there are two or more quantum states, then they can be superposed to get a new valid quantum state. So, if a cat can be dead or alive, then the cat being dead and alive is also a possibility.
bhobba said:It was to highlight a problem with quantum theory. The great polymath Von Neumann showed you can place the quantum classical cut pretty much anywhere. Its called the Von Neumann regress and without going into details led him to place it at human consciousness because it was the only place that is different.
Since then we now know a place that is different - just after decoherence so its no longer an issue and Schrodinger's cat is now fully resolved although there are a number of slightly different ways of doing it.
Thanks
Bill
There's still no superposition going on. In some worlds the cat is alive and in other worlds the cat is dead, but no world in which the cat is in the weird "neither alive nor dead until we look" state.bluecap said:But how come in Many Worlds, the cat can still be both alive and dead at same time?
Nugatory said:There's still no superposition going on. In some worlds the cat is alive and in other worlds the cat is dead, but no world in which the cat is in the weird "neither alive nor dead until we look" state.
bluecap said:But how come in Many Worlds, the cat can still be both alive and dead at same time?
Schrodinger's cat experiment is a thought experiment created by physicist Erwin Schrodinger in 1935 to illustrate the concept of quantum superposition, where a particle can exist in multiple states at the same time. It involves a cat in a sealed box with a radioactive substance and a device that can release a poison based on the decay of the substance.
The purpose of the experiment is to challenge the interpretation of quantum mechanics, specifically the Copenhagen interpretation, which states that a particle exists in all possible states until it is observed. Schrodinger's cat experiment raises the question of whether this principle can also be applied to macroscopic objects, such as a cat.
Schrodinger's cat experiment is significant because it highlights the fundamental paradox between quantum mechanics and classical mechanics. It also raises important philosophical questions about the nature of reality and the role of observation in determining the state of particles.
No, Schrodinger's cat experiment has never been conducted in real life as it is a thought experiment. However, there have been variations of the experiment using other systems, such as photons and atoms, to demonstrate the principles of quantum mechanics.
The implications of Schrodinger's cat experiment are still debated among scientists and philosophers. Some believe it challenges our understanding of reality and the role of observation, while others argue that the experiment is only a theoretical concept and does not have any practical implications.