Question

What is the schrondigers cat theory?

Answer 1

Schrödinger's cat is a famous hypothetical experiment designed to point out a flaw in the Copenhagen interpretation of superposition as it applies to quantum theory. A living cat is placed into a steel chamber along with a hammer, a vial of hydrocyanic acid and a very small amount of radioactive substance. If even a single atom of the radioactive substance decays during the test period, a relay mechanism will trip the hammer, which will turn, break the vial of poisonous gas and cause the cat to die.

The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum physics, which was the prevailing theory at the time, proposed that atoms or photons exist in multiple states that correspond with different possible outcomes and the , called superpositions, do not commit to a definite state until they are observed.

Schrödinger's thought experiment was designed to show what the Copenhagen interpretation would look like if the mathematical terminology used to explain superposition in the microscopic world was replaced by macroscopic terms the average person could visualize and understand. In the experiment, the observer cannot know whether or not an atom of the substance has decayed, and consequently, does not know whether the vial has broken and the cat has been killed.

According to law under the Copenhagen interpretation, the cat will be both dead and alive until someone looks in the box. In quantum mechanics lingo, the cat's ability to be both alive and dead until it is observed is referred to as quantum indeterminacy or the observer's paradox. The logic behind the observer's paradox is the proven ability of Schrödinger observation to influence outcomes. Schrödinger accepted that superposition exists; during his lifetime, scientists were able to prove its existence by studying interference in light waves. Schrödinger wondered, however, about when the resolution of possibilities actually occurs. His thought experiment was intended to make people ask themselves if it was logical for observation to be the trigger.

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