Quantum entanglement and the Schrödinger experiment

In summary: Hi, @Seyara, welcome. No way: the coin has two sides. Here, everywhere. No comparison with the cat. Probability has nothing in common with quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, regard previous post. Mine is just an intuitive, naive, etc, opinion.The cat is not a simple quantum mechanical system. That is the point. The coin and the cat have that in common. They cannot be directly described by QM. The Schrodinger's cat thought experiment combines a simple QM system with an object, the cat, that we know is not described in the same simple way.
  • #1
Seyara
Ok so just tell me this, if you flip a coin with your eyes closed and it lands on your hand and then you look at the coin and it is heads… there was a time in the duration of the coin being in the air at which the coin was in a state of neither heads or tales. But only once it hits your hand it must pick one (in this case it picks heads facing up). now that you have opened your eyes and have knowledge that the coin is heads…… could you make a true statement that “the coin was heads only after the point at which it landed on my hand”

if what i'm asking does not make sense let me ask this in a more familiar scenario the Schrödinger experiment

if you open the box and the cat is dead, can you make a true statement that "the cat was dead after the point of explosion" even though it hadn't been observed at the time?
 
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  • #2
Seyara said:
Ok so just tell me this, if you flip a coin with your eyes closed and it lands on your hand and then you look at the coin and it is heads… there was a time in the duration of the coin being in the air at which the coin was in a state of neither heads or tales. But only once it hits your hand it must pick one (in this case it picks heads facing up). now that you have opened your eyes and have knowledge that the coin is heads…… could you make a true statement that “the coin was heads only after the point at which it landed on my hand”
Yes. The coin in the air is spinning and its orientation is always well defined. When it lands its orientation is fixed.
Seyara said:
if what i'm asking does not make sense let me ask this in a more familiar scenario the Schrödinger experiment

if you open the box and the cat is dead, can you make a true statement that "the cat was dead after the point of explosion" even though it hadn't been observed at the time?
Likewise, the cat cannot physically be neither alive nor dead. When you look all the evidence points to the cat having been dead for some time.

The question is how we resolve the dilemma if the cat's fate is entangled with a micoscopic system, which can be in a superposition of states.
 
  • #3
Seyara said:
could you make a true statement that “the coin was heads only after the point at which it landed on my hand”
Hi, @Seyara, welcome. No way: the coin has two sides. Here, everywhere. No comparison with the cat. Probability has nothing in common with quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, regard previous post. Mine is just an intuitive, naive, etc, opinion.
 
  • #4
mcastillo356 said:
Hi, @Seyara, welcome. No way: the coin has two sides. Here, everywhere. No comparison with the cat.
The cat is not a simple quantum mechanical system. That is the point. The coin and the cat have that in common. They cannot be directly described by QM. The Schrodinger's cat thought experiment combines a simple QM system with an object, the cat, that we know is not described in the same simple way.

The solution to the question is not to treat the cat as though it were a single atom and assume that elementary QM applies.
 
  • #5
PeroK said:
The solution to the question is not to treat the cat as though it were a single atom and assume that elementary QM applies.
Thanks. I've always thought that this cat is been amplified, decontextualized, trivialized, all the words ending in a disturbing "ed" :frown:. Actually, the cat is just a fingered metaphor
 

FAQ: Quantum entanglement and the Schrödinger experiment

What is quantum entanglement?

Quantum entanglement is a physical phenomenon that occurs when pairs or groups of particles are generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in ways such that the quantum state of each particle cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by large distances. This means that the state of one particle instantly influences the state of the other, no matter how far apart they are.

How does the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment relate to quantum mechanics?

Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment that illustrates the concept of superposition in quantum mechanics. In this experiment, a cat is placed in a sealed box with a radioactive atom, a Geiger counter, a vial of poison, and a hammer. If the Geiger counter detects radiation, the hammer breaks the vial, releasing the poison and killing the cat. Quantum mechanics suggests that until the box is opened and the cat is observed, it is simultaneously alive and dead. This paradox highlights the problem of the observer effect and the difficulty of applying quantum mechanics to everyday objects.

Can entangled particles communicate faster than the speed of light?

No, entangled particles do not communicate in the traditional sense. The changes in the state of one particle are correlated with the changes in the state of the other, regardless of the distance between them, but this correlation does not involve any transfer of information faster than the speed of light. This phenomenon is often referred to as "spooky action at a distance," but it does not violate the principles of relativity because no usable information is transmitted in the process.

What are the practical applications of quantum entanglement?

Quantum entanglement has several potential practical applications, particularly in the fields of quantum computing and quantum cryptography. In quantum computing, entanglement can be used to create qubits that can perform complex calculations much faster than classical bits. In quantum cryptography, entanglement can enable highly secure communication methods, such as quantum key distribution, which are theoretically immune to eavesdropping.

How does measurement affect entangled particles?

When a measurement is made on one of the entangled particles, the quantum state of that particle is determined, and the state of the other entangled particle is instantly determined as well, even if they are far apart. This process is known as "wavefunction collapse." Before measurement, the particles exist in a superposition of states, but measurement forces them into a definite state. This is one of the key features that distinguishes quantum mechanics from classical physics.

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