User Panel
Posted: 11/5/2009 7:38:33 AM EDT
Discuss.
|
|
I ran the box over with my truck - without looking, was there really a cat in the box?
|
|
Penny said the cat was alive, and I believed her. (Of course, I really wanted to believe her...)
|
|
This is one of those bizarre quantum physics things, right? Like the cat is both alive and dead at the same time?
|
|
Superposition of states FTW!
Of course I'm sure the cat considers itself an observer of the system, and so the cat must actually be alive or dead. If you removed the cat from the box, then the box would contain a vial of poison gas that is both broken and not broken at the same time, until you checked. |
|
Quoted:
This is one of those bizarre quantum physics things, right? Like the cat is both alive and dead at the same time? Correct. Schrodinger came up with the thought experiment to highlight the absurdity of the idea of superposition of states. Too bad for Schrodinger that Nature doesn't ascribe to his notions of absurd. |
|
I observe the cat to be dead whilst my parallel universe self observes the cat to be alive.
|
|
Quoted: Yeah, he was actually trying to disprove the whole idea IIRC...Quoted: This is one of those bizarre quantum physics things, right? Like the cat is both alive and dead at the same time? Correct. Schrodinger came up with the thought experiment to highlight the absurdity of the idea of superposition of states. Too bad for Schrodinger that Nature doesn't ascribe to his notions of absurd. |
|
Quoted:
Actually, I think there's a simple solution to Schroedinger's cat. We're supposed to believe in two quantum states, where the cat is both alive AND dead? I don't think so! The real solution is very simple: It's a ZOMBIE CAT!!!! http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_iuVs5Vx3-qs/SdtKxwqyLBI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/HXkyEO4OosA/s400/zombie-cat-pic.jpg Do NOT put a cat in a box with poison and radioactive isotopes, or you will turn them into a zombie! WIN!! |
|
Quoted: I observe the cat to be dead whilst my parallel universe self observes the cat to be alive. Ahhh, the many-worlds interpretation. |
|
We're talking about the quantum suicide experiment....
I think that just because we are unaware of somethings' state, doesn't change the fact that it IS either alive or dead inside that box. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Yeah, he was actually trying to disprove the whole idea IIRC...
Quoted:
This is one of those bizarre quantum physics things, right? Like the cat is both alive and dead at the same time? Correct. Schrodinger came up with the thought experiment to highlight the absurdity of the idea of superposition of states. Too bad for Schrodinger that Nature doesn't ascribe to his notions of absurd. Yes, and he was wrong. This is best illustrated by the double slit experiment. Read through the second page fur ultimate quantum weirdness. Basically light shined on two slits interferes with itself, acting like a wave and producing interference patterns. If you use a very weak lightsource so that only ONE photon (particle of light) at a time is incident on the slits, the photon goes through BOTH slits and interferes with ITSELF (superposition of states). Even stranger, if you place a detector on the slits capable of determining which slit the photon went through, the photon only goes through ONE slit, and the interference disappears! In other words, observing the system causes the superposition to collapse into one single state, which is what is observed. |
|
Quoted:
We're talking about the quantum suicide experiment.... I think that just because we are unaware of somethings' state, doesn't change the fact that it IS either alive or dead inside that box. You are incorrect, although you have good company (Schrodinger et al). |
|
Quoted: We're talking about the quantum suicide experiment.... I think that just because we are unaware of somethings' state, doesn't change the fact that it IS either alive or dead inside that box. You won't really know until you look. |
|
Quoted:
Discuss. Experiment invalid. Flawed subject. Any conclusion is rendered useless by selecting a subject with nine lives. Suggest reevaluation using a possum. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Discuss. Experiment invalid. Flawed subject. Any conclusion is rendered useless by selecting a subject with nine lives. Suggest reevaluation using a possum. How would you know if the possum was just faking it? |
|
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, he was actually trying to disprove the whole idea IIRC...Quoted: This is one of those bizarre quantum physics things, right? Like the cat is both alive and dead at the same time? Correct. Schrodinger came up with the thought experiment to highlight the absurdity of the idea of superposition of states. Too bad for Schrodinger that Nature doesn't ascribe to his notions of absurd. Yes, and he was wrong. This is best illustrated by the double slit experiment. Read through the second page fur ultimate quantum weirdness. Basically light shined on two slits interferes with itself, acting like a wave and producing interference patterns. If you use a very weak lightsource so that only ONE photon (particle of light) at a time is incident on the slits, the photon goes through BOTH slits and interferes with ITSELF (superposition of states). Even stranger, if you place a detector on the slits capable of determining which slit the photon went through, the photon only goes through ONE slit, and the interference disappears! In other words, observing the system causes the superposition to collapse into one single state, which is what is observed. Yeah, I'm familiar with the double split experiment. In fact I was in a band when I was younger called "sum-over-paths" Kinda nerdy experimental electronica... Now if we really wanna start confusing people in here, we should try and get people to wrap their head around causality violation in Relativity. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Yeah, he was actually trying to disprove the whole idea IIRC...
Quoted:
This is one of those bizarre quantum physics things, right? Like the cat is both alive and dead at the same time? Correct. Schrodinger came up with the thought experiment to highlight the absurdity of the idea of superposition of states. Too bad for Schrodinger that Nature doesn't ascribe to his notions of absurd. Yes, and he was wrong. This is best illustrated by the double slit experiment. Read through the second page fur ultimate quantum weirdness. Basically light shined on two slits interferes with itself, acting like a wave and producing interference patterns. If you use a very weak lightsource so that only ONE photon (particle of light) at a time is incident on the slits, the photon goes through BOTH slits and interferes with ITSELF (superposition of states). Even stranger, if you place a detector on the slits capable of determining which slit the photon went through, the photon only goes through ONE slit, and the interference disappears! In other words, observing the system causes the superposition to collapse into one single state, which is what is observed. Yeah, I'm familiar with the double split experiment. In fact I was in a band when I was younger called "sum-over-paths" Kinda nerdy experimental electronica... Now if we really wanna start confusing people in here, we should try and get people to wrap their head around causality violation in Relativity. <===Not a physicist. I thought causality wasn't violated in relativity? I thought that squaring that with the superposition of states is part of the problem with merging relativity and quantum mechanics? |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Discuss. Experiment invalid. Flawed subject. Any conclusion is rendered useless by selecting a subject with nine lives. Suggest reevaluation using a possum. How would you know if the possum was just faking it? That's why the possum is perfect for this experiment. |
|
dude thanks for giveing me a name for my hunter in WoW.. who has a spirit beast pet..
|
|
I personally am a fan of the cat and butterd toast paradox.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
|
What if Schrodinger and Heisenberg had a kid, who'd spank him, and did he get spanked, and would he know it, and would passerby see it, or does it matter. Mr. Gumby, my brain hurts!
|
|
Quoted: I personally am a fan of the cat and butterd toast paradox. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile I liked that one too. |
|
Quoted: What if Schrodinger and Heisenberg had a kid, who'd spank him, and did he get spanked, and would he know it, and would passerby see it, or does it matter. Mr. Gumby, my brain hurts! That's not the only problem. Schrodinger and Heisenberg were both guys. |
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
What if Schrodinger and Heisenberg had a kid, who'd spank him, and did he get spanked, and would he know it, and would passerby see it, or does it matter. Mr. Gumby, my brain hurts! That's not the only problem. Schrodinger and Heisenberg were both guys. Duh, that was a hypothetical |
|
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, he was actually trying to disprove the whole idea IIRC...Quoted: This is one of those bizarre quantum physics things, right? Like the cat is both alive and dead at the same time? Correct. Schrodinger came up with the thought experiment to highlight the absurdity of the idea of superposition of states. Too bad for Schrodinger that Nature doesn't ascribe to his notions of absurd. Yes, and he was wrong. This is best illustrated by the double slit experiment. Read through the second page fur ultimate quantum weirdness. Basically light shined on two slits interferes with itself, acting like a wave and producing interference patterns. If you use a very weak lightsource so that only ONE photon (particle of light) at a time is incident on the slits, the photon goes through BOTH slits and interferes with ITSELF (superposition of states). Even stranger, if you place a detector on the slits capable of determining which slit the photon went through, the photon only goes through ONE slit, and the interference disappears! In other words, observing the system causes the superposition to collapse into one single state, which is what is observed. Yeah, I'm familiar with the double split experiment. In fact I was in a band when I was younger called "sum-over-paths" Kinda nerdy experimental electronica... Now if we really wanna start confusing people in here, we should try and get people to wrap their head around causality violation in Relativity. <===Not a physicist. I thought causality wasn't violated in relativity? I thought that squaring that with the superposition of states is part of the problem with merging relativity and quantum mechanics? Not a physicist either, though both my father and grandfather are, so I get to have these discussions over Turkey Day dinner. I suppose I should have said sequentiality distortion. You know, the old light bulb in a train thought experiment. Depending on the state of the observer, sequences of events can appear radically different. Two events can be regarded as simultaneous, or not, depending on their space-time locations relative to the observer, and in fact different observers may view the same two events in a different order in time. That is what I meant by "causality violation"... |
|
I wish the would make another portal
Quoted: THE CAKE CAT IS A LIE! |
|
I feel like I walked into a Big Bang Theory episode with no hot chick or punch line...
|
|
You could go with Martin Heidegger who would say that through living the cat is facing towards death and thus experiencing its own death...Thusly alive and dieing. not quite the same but still relevant in my opinion.
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
We're talking about the quantum suicide experiment.... I think that just because we are unaware of somethings' state, doesn't change the fact that it IS either alive or dead inside that box. You won't really know until you look. Yes, that's true that *I* won't know, my point was, that at least in my mind, I know that the cat IS either alive or dead, it is just unbeknownst to me.... That's like saying that if your buddy goes out and steals a car, he has neither succeeded nor been caught until someone calls you. If i'm missing something i'd love to hear more, no sarcasm... |
|
If you watch a cat long enough, you are bound to see something that defies physics.
Mine, for instance, can run vertically. |
|
Quoted:
If you watch a cat long enough, you are bound to see something that defies physics. Mine, for instance, can run vertically. My 17-pound cat can make himself weigh about 60 pounds. |
|
Quoted:
I AM NOT LOOKING! I AM NOT LOOKING! I didn't see what you did there cause I ain't looking. |
|
[Johnny Castle] "Nobody puts kitty in a box." [/Johnny Castle]
|
|
Ohhhhhhh..........
Immanuel Kant was a real pissant Who was very rarely stable, Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy begger Who could think you under the table, David Hume could out-consume, Wilhelm Freidrich Hegel. And Wittgenstein was a beery swine Who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.... |
|
If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around, does a cat really die?
|
|
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
We're talking about the quantum suicide experiment.... I think that just because we are unaware of somethings' state, doesn't change the fact that it IS either alive or dead inside that box. You won't really know until you look. Yes, that's true that *I* won't know, my point was, that at least in my mind, I know that the cat IS either alive or dead, it is just unbeknownst to me.... That's like saying that if your buddy goes out and steals a car, he has neither succeeded nor been caught until someone calls you. If i'm missing something i'd love to hear more, no sarcasm... You are indeed missing something: the superposition of quantum states. The cat in the box was originally conceived as an example of quantum superposition, a phenomena normally only associated with very small things, that would be relevant on normal length scales. It was designed to show how preposterous such a theory would be, a reductio ad absurdum. However, the existence of quantum superposition was later shown to be an experimental fact; see the link I posted above to the dual-slit experiment. Because the the life/death of the cat depends on the superimposed quantum states of a radioactive atom, i.e. is the atom decayed/not decayed, the alive/dead states of the cat are ALSO superimposed. Since the radioactive atom is both decayed and not decayed until it's state is checked, forcing it to become one or the other, the cat is also both alive/dead until it is checked. Of course, one could argue that the cat is an observer, and so it is constantly "checking" whether it's alive or dead and so therefore it will never be both alive and dead. However, if you forget about the cat and worry about the vial of poison gas, which is inanimate, the vial will be both broken AND unbroken until it is checked/observed, and the superimposed states are forced to collapse into one observable state (i.e. broken or not broken). |
|
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.