By Kate Hill
Schrödinger’s cat is a fundamental idea in the world of quantum physics and is used to explain the concept of superposition, which is the fact that a quantum system can be in multiple states at once until it’s measured, which is exactly what Schrödinger’s cat presents.
What is Schrodinger’s Cat?
The Austrian scientist, Ernald Schrödinger, developed a theoretical experiment where a cat was placed in a sealed box with a flask of poison, a radioactive source and a Geiger counter. The cat can either drink the poison or not, leaving a 50% chance to see if the cat is alive or dead, but before the box is opened the cat is both alive and dead. The same idea applies to the radioactive matter as that can either be decayed or not decayed also meaning it is in two states at once. This could also mean that the Geiger counter is also in two states at once and everything in the box is as well. But can an animal made up of thousands of atoms still be in superposition? Schrodinger himself didn’t believe that the cat was in superposition.
But the result is decided by the person running the experiment as they can choose when to open the box or even open the box at all this decides whether there is an end to the superposition.
Why was the experiment made?
Schrodinger made this theoretical experiment to display how absurd he thought quantum physics was and how absurd Copenhagen’s interpretation (which is a group of scientists’ ideas on the meaning of quantum mechanics) was.
After Schrodinger made this principle he stopped looking into quantum physics altogether and turned to biology as he found it to be disturbing.
Why and Where is it used?
The basics of Schrödinger’s Cat is an easier way to explain parts of quantum physics, like superposition, as it gives an experiment that could be done in real life to help your thought process.
The principle of Schrödinger’s Cat is a 50% chance of two options but can be different or both can be applied to real-life situations for example a scenario from the show ‘The Big Bang Theory’, Penny’s relationship with Leonard can be perceived as both good and bad but it’s not until Penny chooses whether to date Leonard she finds out what the answer is.
Conclusion
Schrödinger’s cat at first is mind-boggling however it is a great eye opener into the possibilities of physics and theoretical experiments and can be used in many ways. It is also a great starting point to get into quantum physics.
mage Sources
Photo of Ernald Schrödinger
Biography.com Editors (2014). Erwin Schrödinger. [online] Biography.
Available at: https://www.biography.com/scientist/erwin-schrdinger.
Picture of the experiment
Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Schrödinger’s cat. [online] Wikipedia.
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat.
Bibliography
Anon, (n.d.). – YouTube. [online]
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjaAs UO6-Uw [Accessed 3 Aug. 2024].
Wikipedia Contributors (2022). Erwin Schrödinger. [online] Wikipedia.
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger.
Wikipedia Contributors (2019). Copenhagen interpretation. [online] Wikipedia.
Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_interpretation.
builtin.com. (n.d.). What Is Schrödinger’s Cat? (Definition, How It Works) | Built In. [online]
Available at: https://builtin.com/software-engineering-perspectives/schrodingers-cat#:~:text=Schr%C3%B6dinger.
Josh