Is @SchroedingersLion Alive or Dead?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a playful reinterpretation of Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, introducing a lion as the central figure and exploring the implications of an observer's presence in the box. The scope includes conceptual exploration and humorous takes on quantum superposition and observation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant imagines a scenario where an observer is in a box with a lion and an alarm clock, questioning the state of the observer at the end of an hour.
  • Another participant challenges the notion of the thought experiment being entertaining, prompting further discussion.
  • A participant suggests that the universe outside the box remains in an undetermined state if the observer is present, raising questions about the validity of the experiment upon the observer's death.
  • There is a humorous reference to a mathematician's joke about catching a lion, linking it to the theme of the discussion.
  • A later reply reiterates the initial scenario while questioning whether the lion's hunger status alters the original thought experiment.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying interpretations of the thought experiment, with no consensus on the implications of the observer's presence or the nature of the lion's state. The discussion remains playful and speculative.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes humorous elements and speculative reasoning, with no formal resolutions or established conclusions regarding the implications of the thought experiment.

.Scott
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I noticed that someone has the user name @SchroedingersLion and I have to comment.

I imagine the same experiment as before - but instead there's a hungry sleeping lion in the box with an alarm clock wired to the decay detector.

In this new experiment, the observer stays in the box with the alarm clock.
If the observer is still alive at the end of an hour, an observation has been made.
Otherwise, is he still in a superposition of dead and alive?

No, I'm not serious. But it's an entertaining thought.
 
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And why would this be “an entertaining thought”?

Zz.
 
.Scott said:
In this new experiment, the observer stays in the box with the alarm clock.
Well. In this case the universe outside is, what will remain in an undetermined state:smile:

Also, with the death of the observer, the experiment would become invalid:woot:
 
Rive said:
Well. In this case the universe outside is, what will remain in an undetermined state:smile:
Hmmmm...
Okay. So, in response to someone being in trouble - perhaps they are about to be eaten by a lion, the observer jumps into a box until help can arrive. Thus keeping the potential victim in an indetermined state.
 
Reminds me on the old joke:
"How does a mathematician catch a lion?"
"He takes a cage, sits in it, and makes a ##\frac{1}{z}## transformation."
 
.Scott said:
I noticed that someone has the user name @SchroedingersLion and I have to comment.

I imagine the same experiment as before - but instead there's a hungry sleeping lion in the box with an alarm clock wired to the decay detector.

In this new experiment, the observer stays in the box with the alarm clock.
If the observer is still alive at the end of an hour, an observation has been made.
Otherwise, is he still in a superposition of dead and alive?

No, I'm not serious. But it's an entertaining thought.
Isn't this the same as the original thought experiment except that now the question has become, "Is the cat hungry or fed?"
 

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