Applying Schrodinger's Cat Experiment

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the application of Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment to explore the implications of quantum uncertainty, particularly in relation to sound waves and the nature of observation in quantum mechanics. Participants examine the conditions necessary for the experiment and the role of the observer in determining outcomes, drawing parallels with the double slit experiment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that applying Schrödinger's Cat to sound waves could reveal insights into quantum uncertainty, questioning whether monitoring the cat's condition would eliminate uncertainty.
  • Others argue that the cat must be completely isolated from external observation, which includes not being able to listen for sounds or monitor its temperature, to maintain the integrity of the experiment.
  • One participant suggests that the experimenter's uncertainty may be what produces the superposition of states, rather than the physical state of the cat or the radioactive atom.
  • Another viewpoint posits that the measurement context created by the experimenter is crucial for the existence of superposition, as seen in the double slit experiment.
  • Some participants discuss the nature of quantum objects, suggesting that they behave as particles or waves depending on the certainty of measurement conditions, referencing Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle.
  • There is a suggestion that electrons and other quantum entities are not strictly particles or waves, but rather exhibit behaviors based on the experimental context and the observer's knowledge.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of observation in quantum mechanics and the conditions necessary for Schrödinger's Cat experiment. No consensus is reached regarding the interpretation of uncertainty and the role of the observer.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the principles of quantum mechanics as applied to living entities like cats remain largely untested and that creating a pure quantum state for such an experiment presents significant challenges.

  • #31
... and the state of the Cat is of the same order as the state of the coin toss (ie. unknown not unknowable).

If you can impose conditions on the Cat to make it unknowable (ie. sealed away somehow) as distinct to unknown, then you could impose those same conditions on the coin toss.
 
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  • #32
leamphil said:
... and the state of the Cat is of the same order as the state of the coin toss (ie. unknown not unknowable).

If you can impose conditions on the Cat to make it unknowable (ie. sealed away somehow) as distinct to unknown, then you could impose those same conditions on the coin toss.

This brings up a really good question. I wonder if it is possible to produce the effects of the Uncertainty Principle onto large scale objects by imposing conditions of uncertainty (i.e. complete isolation). Does the Uncertainty Principle only work for the very small, or could it also be applied to the large?
 
  • #33
The only guaranteed "complete isolation" I can envisage would arise from being outside the light cone of the observer - with obvious implications on ever finding out the result of any experiment !
 
  • #34
One other "complete isolation" scenario (because the physics would prevent any information escaping) would be behind the event horizon of a black hole. If the black hole then evaporated (?) one could then see the result but perhaps, due to time dilation, nothing much would have happened ?
 
  • #35
leamphil said:
The only guaranteed "complete isolation" I can envisage would arise from being outside the light cone of the observer - with obvious implications on ever finding out the result of any experiment !

That's an interesting idea. Physically, we wouldn't have any way of testing whether or not there was a superposition of states. I think Schrödinger's idea was simply to tell us how bizarre the implications of the probability interpretation of the wave equation are (e.g. the idea that a cat, or any organism, could be both dead and alive at the same time). It is not actually an experiment that he thought out, since he was focused simply on the implications themselves. The question is: what would be the "screen" that would allow us to record the interference pattern of a cat being both alive and dead?
 

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