Is @SchroedingersLion Alive or Dead?

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The discussion revolves around a humorous reinterpretation of Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, introducing a hungry lion in the box alongside an observer and an alarm clock connected to a decay detector. The key point is the exploration of whether the observer's survival after an hour leads to a definitive observation or leaves them in a superposition of states (alive or dead). The conversation highlights the absurdity of the scenario, suggesting that it remains an entertaining thought experiment. Additionally, it draws parallels to the original concept by questioning the lion's state of hunger, emphasizing the playful nature of the discussion while engaging with quantum mechanics themes.
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I noticed that someone has the user name @SchroedingersLion and I have to comment.

I imagine the same experiment as before - but instead there's a hungry sleeping lion in the box with an alarm clock wired to the decay detector.

In this new experiment, the observer stays in the box with the alarm clock.
If the observer is still alive at the end of an hour, an observation has been made.
Otherwise, is he still in a superposition of dead and alive?

No, I'm not serious. But it's an entertaining thought.
 
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And why would this be “an entertaining thought”?

Zz.
 
.Scott said:
In this new experiment, the observer stays in the box with the alarm clock.
Well. In this case the universe outside is, what will remain in an undetermined state:smile:

Also, with the death of the observer, the experiment would become invalid:woot:
 
Rive said:
Well. In this case the universe outside is, what will remain in an undetermined state:smile:
Hmmmm...
Okay. So, in response to someone being in trouble - perhaps they are about to be eaten by a lion, the observer jumps into a box until help can arrive. Thus keeping the potential victim in an indetermined state.
 
Reminds me on the old joke:
"How does a mathematician catch a lion?"
"He takes a cage, sits in it, and makes a ##\frac{1}{z}## transformation."
 
.Scott said:
I noticed that someone has the user name @SchroedingersLion and I have to comment.

I imagine the same experiment as before - but instead there's a hungry sleeping lion in the box with an alarm clock wired to the decay detector.

In this new experiment, the observer stays in the box with the alarm clock.
If the observer is still alive at the end of an hour, an observation has been made.
Otherwise, is he still in a superposition of dead and alive?

No, I'm not serious. But it's an entertaining thought.
Isn't this the same as the original thought experiment except that now the question has become, "Is the cat hungry or fed?"
 
"In 2013, after a series of hospitalizations due to magnets, New Zealand government officials permanently banned the sale of those made from neodymium-iron-boron (NIB)." https://www.sciencealert.com/new-zealand-teen-loses-part-of-his-bowel-after-swallowing-nearly-200-magnets "A 13-year-old boy in New Zealand has had part of his bowel surgically removed after he ingested nearly 200 high-powered magnets. (2025)" OK, this teen was a fool, but it is not always a teen, it is not always...
Thread 'RIP Chen Ning Yang (1922-2025)'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang_Chen-Ning ( photo from http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu/~yang/ ) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/science/chen-ning-yang-dead.html https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxrzzk02plo https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press/mourning-professor-yang-chen-ning/ https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/physics/about/awards_and_prizes/_nobel_and_breakthrough_prizes/_profiles/yangc https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/physics/people/_profiles/yangc...

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