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On to the Cat  

By: Zimbler0 in THEORY | Recommend this post (2)
Sun, 20 Jun 21 1:46 AM | 188 view(s)
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On to the Cat

Schrodinger extended this by proposing that a hypothetical cat be placed in a hypothetical box. In the box with the cat we would place a vial of poison gas, which would instantly kill the cat. The vial is hooked up to an apparatus which is wired into a Geiger counter, a device used to detect radiation. The aforementioned radioactive atom is placed near the Geiger counter and left there for exactly one hour.

If the atom decays, then the Geiger counter will detect the radiation, break the vial, and kill the cat. If the atom does not decay, then the vial will be intact and the cat will be alive.

After the one-hour period, the atom is in a state where it is both decayed and not-decayed. However, given how we've constructed the situation, this means that the vial is both broken and not-broken and, ultimately, according to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics the cat is both dead and alive.

http://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-schrodingers-cat-2699362

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Stephen Hawking is famously quoted as saying "When I hear about Schrodinger's cat, I reach for my gun."

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So Open the Box Already.
Zim.




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Mad Poet Strikes Again.


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