Is our universe the creation of a dachshund's nap?

  • Thread starter Petronius
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In summary, the novel titled SCHRÖDINGER’S DACHSHUND explores the existential consequences of many-worlds scenarios through the perspective of a physics student. The main character questions whether the actions of a dachshund can split the universe into two, creating a new world and potentially even being responsible for the creation of our own. The protagonist even develops a religion around this idea. These concepts are in line with the many-worlds interpretation, which posits that each world is the result of countless choices.
  • #1
Petronius
I'm publishing a novel titled SCHRÖDINGER’S DACHSHUND. In it, a physics student goes around the bend from figuring out the existential consequences of many-worlds scenarios. This is eclectic literary fiction, but I'd like to check with card-carrying physicists about something:

1) Is it compatible with at least one many-worlds scenario that when Maestoso the Dachshund chose between taking a nap or not, the universe split in two? In one, he napped. In the other he didn't.

2) If this be true, the residents of one of the worlds were creatio ex Dachshund. They “owe” their existence to the actions of a hound in another dimension.

3) It is possible that this is our world. Our universe was created by Maestoso the Dachshund.

Determining whether 3 is good news or bad news may constitute the greatest intellectual challenge of all time. That's why I use fiction to grapple with Big Questions. The physicist in SCHRÖDINGER’S DACHSHUND develops a religion around this discovery. Who can blame him?

Generally speaking, how compatible are 1, 2, 3 with many-worlds scenarios?
 
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  • #3
I think the most reasonable number of splits happening in anyone instant depends on the number of possible "states" of each point of space-time and the number of points. There are good reasons (whether they are correct or not is a different question) to believe the fundamental length of a point is about 1E-35 meters, making a point the cube of that, or about 1E-104 m^3. If you assume each point is independent and can be one of the 61 elementary particles (probably not right) then the possible states are 61^(1E+104) per cubic meter. So, limiting us to a volume about 10000m cubed (the Earth) you need to change that to 61^(1E116) per Planck time unit, which is about 1E-44 seconds. Or there are about 61^(1E116) splits in an instant and 1E44 times that in a second. Feel free to reduce the 61 to a lesser number anything between 2 and ∞ is possible, but hey, if you want try 1.00000000001, it won't matter.
 
  • #4
According to Many-worlds, each world is the product of many billions of choices like that. You are now living in a universe created by my choice to respond to you. Worship will be generously accepted- no human sacrifices please.
 

1. What is Schrödinger's Dachshund?

Schrödinger's Dachshund is a thought experiment based on the famous Schrödinger's cat experiment in quantum physics. It imagines a dachshund in a sealed box with a flask of poison, a hammer, and a small amount of radioactive substance. According to the principles of quantum mechanics, the dachshund can be considered both alive and dead until the box is opened and the state is observed.

2. Who came up with the concept of Schrödinger's Dachshund?

The concept of Schrödinger's Dachshund was first introduced by theoretical physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935 as a way to illustrate the paradoxical nature of quantum mechanics.

3. Is Schrödinger's Dachshund a real experiment?

No, Schrödinger's Dachshund is a thought experiment and has never been carried out in real life. It is used as a hypothetical scenario to explain complex concepts in quantum mechanics.

4. What does Schrödinger's Dachshund teach us about quantum mechanics?

Schrödinger's Dachshund helps us understand the concept of superposition, where an object can exist in multiple states at the same time. It also highlights the role of observation and measurement in determining the state of a quantum system.

5. Can Schrödinger's Dachshund be applied to other scenarios?

Yes, the principles of Schrödinger's Dachshund can be applied to other thought experiments and scenarios in quantum mechanics. It is also often used in popular culture to explain the bizarre and counterintuitive nature of quantum physics.

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