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Saving Schrödinger's Cat

by Graham B.

Rated: E · Book · Personal · #2232494

Thoughts on the mysteries of the universe, the human soul, and cats

Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment proposed by Austrian-Irish physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935 to explore the uncertainty of the state of everyday objects when subject to the laws of quantum mechanics. In this problem, Schrödinger proposes that when a cat is placed in a box with a radioactive isotope and a vial of poison that will break when exposed to radioactive decay, the uncertainty inherent in predicting the state of a subatomic particle such as that emitted in radioactive decay will cause the cat to exist in the quantum state of being both alive and dead. This uncertain state will persist until someone looks into the box, collapses the quantum wave function holding the cat in both of these states, and sees the result.

Sometimes I feel like the guy holding the box with the cat in it, afraid to look in the box, and in constant trepidation over what my investigation will uncover. Other times I feel like the cat, trapped between uncertain possible futures. This blog is an attempt to explore the constant mysteries of life where ever they may come from and try to put a friendly human face on a cold, uncaring, and chaotic universe.

What would you do? Would you open the box to uncover the mystery and risk your curiosity killing the cat? Or would you let the mystery endure and build a story upon it, secure in the knowledge that whatever we learn, life goes on, in one state or another?

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

QPdoll

Apr 22, 2023 at 7:06am
In response to "Coffee and Progress"

It is a shame when jobs or "art" becomes obsolete. Sometimes I think of technology as cheating. With AI and writing, it's surprising to see what the "program" comes up with. I've only seen it tested on tv once. I haven't done a lot of research into it, but I would say that I don't like what I've seen so far. I feel like it takes away from those of us who put so much work into our writing. People who haven't honed their craft use it to make money. It all comes down to money, doesn't it?

1 Like

Aiva Raine

Mar 28, 2023 at 9:26pm
In response to "Signal to Noise"

Agreed. When it comes right down to it- I don't doubt that life and intelligent life exists somewhere in the cosmos beyond our planet. The trillions of galaxies and systems makes it fairly likely.

But I strongly doubt that aliens decided our little planet filled with an amazingly stupid and destructive species that seems dead-set on destroying itself and the only planet it can live on is a universal tour destination. We just aren't that special. Or that smart. And yeah- if another civilization that has the capability to travel at or past the speed of light which science can't even prove is possible yet- I'm pretty certain they could do so without us ever figuring it out.

And I'm with you. Blurry blobs and fuzzy pictures don't qualify as proof and just because we don't know what they are- does not mean it's aliens.

1 Like

Robert Waltz

Mar 4, 2023 at 12:17pm
In response to "Signal to Noise"

Absolutely agree! No, the burden of proof hasn't shifted. Extraordinary claims still require extraordinary evidence. Atmospheric differential refraction can explain a whole host of UFO sightings, while sleep paralysis is a perfectly reasonable explanation for abduction claims (so is attention-seeking behavior).

As for the blurriness thing, consider the Chinese spy balloon that floated at something like 50-60,000 feet over the US and Canada. I saw pictures of it. The pictures were a bit grainy, as they were taken from miles away, but not in any way blurry, like the UFO pictures you see. If we can get a perfectly clear image of a spy balloon, we can damn sure get one of a flying saucer.

Like you, I'm willing to change my mind with evidence. But I haven't seen any real evidence.

3 Like

Prosperous Snow celebrating

Jun 9, 2022 at 6:04pm
In response to "Flirting with Death (and getting rebuffed)"

Death is a subject that has inspire many writers and poets. It's subject that never gets old, probably because everyone knows, even if they don't want to admit it, that all of us eventually encounter death in one of its numerous forms.

Robert Waltz

Sep 20, 2021 at 12:41pm
In response to "Slouching my way out of Anxiety"

I'm of the considered opinion that "self-help" books only self-help the author, and then only if he or she actually sells any.

I'm cautiously optimistic about Done. Not so much about our impending doom.

Robert Waltz

Feb 3, 2021 at 12:38am
In response to "It must flow."

I read the first book (none of the others) a very long time ago, and I have yet to be impressed by any of the adaptations of it. Nevertheless, I want to see this new one when it comes out.

Robert Waltz

Feb 2, 2021 at 12:48am
In response to "No longer neglecting the cat."

The first time I heard of Twitter, a friend of mine described an engineer who rigged his chair to tweet every time he farted.

In the years since then, I have not seen anything to make be believe that the level of maturity on Twitter has ever risen above this remarkably low bar.

Posting on Twitter is like arguing with a bumper sticker.

1 Like

Robert Waltz

Oct 18, 2020 at 11:49pm
In response to "Searching for the Spirit of Halloween"

Great analysis! I would note that Samhain originally marked the (approximate) halfway point between the equinox and solstice, so it does tie in to those fixed astronomical events. That day is usually around November 5, which anyone with knowledge of British culture knows is Guy Fawkes' Day, Bonfire Night. Why else celebrate the failure of a four-hundred-year-old act of terrorism, if not as a nod to older traditions?

But then, I'm not British, so I could be way off. In any case, it was only with the coming of the Julian, then Gregorian calendars that the celebration of Halloween, or All Hallows' Eve, became fixed on October 31 of those calendars.

Anyway, I love this sort of thing, so thanks for posting this!

1 Like

Prosperous Snow celebrating

Sep 25, 2020 at 2:16pm
In response to "Justice and Security"

Justice is part of security. There are several things that are parts of justice and security that are seldom mention, because many focus on the narrow dictionary definitions of justice and security.

1 Like

Graham B.

Sep 25, 2020 at 1:20pm
In response to "The Cat Escapes the Box"

But if no one observes the cat escaping, is he simultaneously in a state of imprisonment and freedom? Will the world become overrun by quantum cats in states of superposition, threatening to replace all matter with feline matter until one brave soul takes up the courage to look at the cat and collapse the feline multiplicity back to its base state? Now that's a story!

September 16, 2020 at 10:42pm

#993524

The Cat Escapes the Box

Disclaimer: I am not a physicist, quantum or otherwise. I’m just an ordinary person with a modestly-endowed brain and an interest in scientific topics – the stranger the better.

This is my first entry into my blog, Saving Schrödinger’s Cat! I can’t imagine who, if anyone, would be interested in reading these thoughts, and I wait with bated breath to find out. In any case, if you are reading this, I invite you to respond with thoughts and perspectives of your own.

I came upon the idea for the title when I was musing over how to express the general theme for this blog in a concrete way. The theme, of course, is the weirdness and unpredictability of life and all that it throws at us mud-bound creatures who against all odds, reach for the stars, both figuratively and literally. I have always been fascinated by quantum mechanics, due to its own weirdness and unintuitive way of working. However, this is not a scientific blog. While considering a title, I thought, what better metaphor for the human condition than the most quirky and esoteric scientific subject there is!

And so, Saving Schrödinger’s Cat was born. My goal is to add to the richness and diversity of perspectives of this site with my own humble thoughts and hopefully receive some feedback. At worst, I make a fool of myself in front of ones or tens of WDC members who will read this. But I’m hoping for fascinating conversations with the weird and twisted minds that I know lurk beneath the surface of this site.

So please, let me have it with both barrels! I look forward to it.

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