Quantum Stuff #5

Quantum Stuff #5

Schrödinger's Cat

Today we will be looking at one of the largest questions in quantum mechanics. It is based around our perspectives and will be briefly looking at the idea of multiverses (If you do not know what a multiverse is, don't worry Quantum Stuff #3 gives a detailed explanation).

So with out further delay I present : Schrödinger's Cat

So the experiment is set up with a cat being out in a tank with a bomb that has 50% of blowing up and 50% of not. But until we look into the tanker we do not know whether the cat is alive or dead.

But if repeat the experiments enough times the cat will die 50% of the time and the cat will live the other 50% of the time.

But the quantum mechanics interpretation is that the cat is in a superposition. Its both dead and alive and our looking into the tank forces natures decision. So our curiosity kills the cat. 

But what about the cat? There are two possibilities for the cat : the gunpowder will explode and the cat will see it explode or it will not and the cat will not see it explode. Only one outcome can occur at one time and therefore the cats reality becomes entangles with the outcome of the experiment. And its our observation that forces nature to choose one option or the other

But in a way we are like that cat. Either we see the cat dead or alive. So who is observing us to force nature to choose one reality. Or do both possibilities happen in parallel with a larger multiverse

And without a reasonable answer or explanation this collapsing to one one reality is one of the biggest unanswered question in modern quantum mechanics.

Keep Learning and Have a Great Day,

Quantum Mechanics Fan,

Amira Ibrahim

Check out last weeks post

http://designingbrilliance.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/quantum-stuff-4.html