Would Schrödinger's bomb be as uncertain as his cat?

  • I
  • Thread starter pBrane
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Bomb
In summary: Which would be irrelevant regarding whether or not the bomb was ever in a state of both exploded and unexploded, which it is not and which was the OP's...
  • #1
pBrane
22
4
if you were standing next to Schrödinger's bomb, triggered by a random event. Would you say "The bomb is both exploded and unexploded?".
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
pBrane said:
if you were standing next to Schrödinger's bomb, triggered by a random event. Would you say "The bomb is both exploded and unexploded?".
No, and neither would you say (accurately anyway) that the cat is both dead and alive.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of threads on this forum about it all. I suggest a forum search and a good place to start is the set of links at the bottom of this page
 
  • #3
phinds said:
No, and neither would you say (accurately anyway) that the cat is both dead and alive.

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of threads on this forum about it all. I suggest a forum search and a good place to start is the set of links at the bottom of this page
Thx phinds
 
  • #4
pBrane said:
if you were standing next to Schrödinger's bomb, triggered by a random event. Would you say "The bomb is both exploded and unexploded?".

Of course not.

There are a number off slightly different ways of resolving Schrodinger's Cat but here is my way.

Due to decoherence objects here in the macro world have definite position. The constituent parts of an exploded and un-exploded bomb have different positions. This means you can't have a superposition of an exploded and un-exploded bomb.

Thanks
Bill
 
  • Like
Likes 1oldman2
  • #5
Related: the Elitzur-Vaidman bomb tester.

If you have a bomb that's triggered by a single qubit being on at a particular time (e.g. a single photon passing by), you can experimentally separate dud bombs from live bombs without setting off all of the live bombs by performing superposed queries.

If I recall correctly, you can make this effect arbitrarily strong (i.e. lose arbitrarily few bombs due to the classification process blowing them up by passing a photon through) via Grover's search algorithm.
 
  • Like
Likes Demystifier, pBrane and absalonsen
  • #6
So I guess the answer to the title question would be, "Yes, Schroedinger's bomb is as uncertain as his cat - but that isn't saying much".
 
  • Like
Likes pBrane and ProfuselyQuarky
  • #9
Strilanc said:
Beat you to mentioning it by 3 hours :oldwink:.
Sorry, I haven't noticed your post before.
 
  • #10
I want to upload a small diagram from my hard drive, must I upload it somewhere else first? (anti-malware?)
[/PLAIN]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #11
pBrane said:
I want to upload a small diagram from my hard drive, must I upload it somewhere else first? (anti-malware?)

The image uploading UX is kind of awful on this site. You probably clicked on the 'insert an image' button in the toolbar, but that only takes URLs.

You upload diagrams by hitting the 'upload' button near the 'Post Reply' button to the bottom right of the reply box. Then the file you picked will appear in a list below the reply box, and you can click either 'THUMBNAIL' or 'FULL IMAGE' within that list to insert it inline in the post.
 
  • Like
Likes pBrane
  • #12
Strilanc said:
The image uploading UX is kind of awful on this site. You probably clicked on the 'insert an image' button in the toolbar, but that only takes URLs.

You upload diagrams by hitting the 'upload' button near the 'Post Reply' button to the bottom right of the reply box. Then the file you picked will appear in a list below the reply box, and you can click either 'THUMBNAIL' or 'FULL IMAGE' within that list to insert it inline in the post.
Try uploading it to photobucket or similar website, then use the URL pointing to the image for the input when you click 'Image'
 
  • Like
Likes pBrane
  • #13
Or, you can take a screen grab of a picture, from "My Pictures", with the Snipping Tool and copy it... then paste it here.

upload_2016-7-26_20-51-33.png

That's what I just did...[COLOR=#black].[/COLOR] :oldsmile:I also centered it buy placing it between these tags... [ center][/center].

But, don't leave a space between the bracket and the c... I had to, so it would show here...
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes pBrane
  • #14
pBrane said:
if you were standing next to Schrödinger's bomb, triggered by a random event. Would you say "The bomb is both exploded and unexploded?".

To qualify as Schrödinger's Bomb, the bomb would need to be in an armored, soundproof box so that you don't know whether the bomb went off until you open the box.
 
  • Like
Likes pBrane
  • #15
David Lewis said:
To qualify as Schrödinger's Bomb, the bomb would need to be in an armored, soundproof box so that you don't know whether the bomb went off until you open the box.
Which would be irrelevant regarding whether or not the bomb was ever in a state of both exploded and unexploded, which it is not and which was the OP's question.
 
  • #16
David Lewis said:
To qualify as Schrödinger's Bomb, the bomb would need to be in an armored, soundproof box so that you don't know whether the bomb went off until you open the box.
David Lewis said:
To qualify as Schrödinger's Bomb, the bomb would need to be in an armored, soundproof box so that you don't know whether the bomb went off until you open the box.

phinds said:
Which would be irrelevant regarding whether or not the bomb was ever in a state of both exploded and unexploded, which it is not and which was the OP's question.
Too true phinds. But optimism overrules logic when it makes you smile.

I like your your avatar's coat mate and I hope that is a smile on your face!
 

FAQ: Would Schrödinger's bomb be as uncertain as his cat?

1. What is Schrödinger's bomb experiment?

Schrödinger's bomb experiment is a thought experiment proposed by physicist Erwin Schrödinger in order to illustrate the concept of quantum superposition. It is based on the famous "Schrödinger's cat" experiment, in which a cat is placed in a sealed box with a quantum system that has a 50% chance of releasing poison, thus killing the cat. In the bomb experiment, the quantum system is replaced with a bomb, and the observer must determine whether the bomb has exploded or not, without opening the box.

2. How does Schrödinger's bomb relate to his cat?

Schrödinger's bomb experiment is based on the same principle as his cat experiment - the idea that a quantum system can exist in multiple states at the same time. In both experiments, the observer is unable to determine the true state of the system without directly observing it. This highlights the concept of quantum uncertainty and the role of observation in determining the state of a system.

3. Would Schrödinger's bomb be as uncertain as his cat?

Yes, Schrödinger's bomb would be just as uncertain as his cat. Both experiments are based on the same principles of quantum mechanics, and the bomb would exist in a superposition of states until observed by the observer. This means that the bomb would have both exploded and not exploded at the same time, until the observer opens the box and determines its true state.

4. What is the significance of Schrödinger's bomb experiment?

Schrödinger's bomb experiment, along with his cat experiment, highlights the strange and counterintuitive nature of quantum mechanics. It challenges our understanding of reality and the role of observation in determining the state of a system. The experiment also has practical implications for the development of quantum technologies, such as quantum computers, which rely on the principles of superposition and uncertainty.

5. Has Schrödinger's bomb experiment ever been conducted?

No, Schrödinger's bomb experiment has never been conducted in a physical sense. It is a thought experiment and was proposed by Schrödinger in order to illustrate a point about quantum mechanics. However, the principles behind the experiment have been demonstrated in various experiments involving quantum systems, further validating the strange and fascinating world of quantum physics.

Similar threads

Replies
143
Views
8K
2
Replies
46
Views
6K
Replies
39
Views
3K
Replies
15
Views
2K
Replies
17
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
2K
Back
Top