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Scientists Catch Schrödinger’s Cat on Camera


Claire.

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Scientists Catch Schrödinger’s Cat on Camera

Quantum physics can be a weird world in which things behave in ways that may not initially make sense. The “Schrödinger’s Cat” thought experiment was designed to demonstrate some of these properties, namely that atoms and molecules can exist in two different states at the same time until someone takes a peek at them. Now, a group of researchers have used this quantum paradox to capture the complex inner workings of the insides of molecules in greater detail than ever before.

Read more: Smithsonian

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If a molecule can exist in two states at once, then do we see two effects at once? Or does checking the effect equal direct observation?

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7 minutes ago, DieChecker said:

If a molecule can exist in two states at once, then do we see two effects at once? Or does checking the effect equal direct observation?

That's the tricky part. Merely observing can affect the outcome

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6 hours ago, XenoFish said:

Am I alive or dead? Am I both?

Apparently until someone checks, you're both.

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On ‎28‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 4:06 AM, DieChecker said:

Apparently until someone checks, you're both.

Impossible, the cat doesnt measure itself, its something outside doing the measuring.

So he is alive or dead from his perception. Only to the outside observer about to turn on the measuring device is he both.

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1 hour ago, RabidMongoose said:

Impossible, the cat doesnt measure itself, its something outside doing the measuring.

So he is alive or dead from his perception. Only to the outside observer about to turn on the measuring device is he both.

So the cat can be treated as alive AND dead, but actually is one or the other, even if no one checks? 

The article seemed to imply that the particle/molecule DOES have both states. Not that it can be treated as having either. I suppose that is what I am wondering.

Quote

namely that atoms and molecules can exist in two different states at the same time

 

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37 minutes ago, DieChecker said:

So the cat can be treated as alive AND dead, but actually is one or the other, even if no one checks? 

The article seemed to imply that the particle/molecule DOES have both states. Not that it can be treated as having either. I suppose that is what I am wondering.

The confusion arises because you believe there is one reality which is experienced by both sides.

There isn't.

In the example of the cat experiment there are two realities which are different from each other. The cat only perceives one of those realities which it experiences living in. For the outside observer both realities co-exist for the cat until the act of measurement forces a collapse leaving one. That collapse is incredibly fast (although not instantaneous) and can be slowed down just enough to catch it happening on camera. Two side by side realities, then puff, one remains.

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My response to the problem was...why did you put the cat in the box to begin with? Take the poor thing out of the box. 

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