Schroedinger's cat: half-alive and half-dead?

Question

If only "sensible" results of measurements can be observed, how do atomic scientists verify wavefunction states of a phenomenon like a half-live and half-dead Schroedinger's cat? I remember reading that the analogy applies to semiconductor circuits, where a gas exists on both sides of a barrier until it is observed. How can this be known with certainty?

Answer 1

Read more about the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, see the reference. The point of the analogy is that the cat is either dead or alive but not both. The point of the principle is that it cannot be known with certainty. There is no measurement you can make to resolve the uncertainty.