2007-02-22 17:32:24 · 6 answers · asked by Aspurtaime Dog Sneeze 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
You actually posted it? :-)
It serves to demonstrate the apparent conflict between what quantum theory tells us is true about the nature and behavior of matter on the microscopic level and what we observe to be true about the nature and behavior of matter on the macroscopic level.
2007-02-22 17:38:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The thought experiment serves to illustrate the strangeness of quantum mechanics and the mathematics necessary to describe quantum states. The idea of a particle existing in a superposition of possible states, while a fact of quantum mechanics, is a concept that does not scale to large systems (i.e. cats), which are not indeterminably probabilistic in nature.
2007-02-23 01:37:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
the signifigance of schrodinger's cat to science is that is parallells the 3 types of physics in one example. 1) Classical physics (newton saw an apple fall), 2) quantom physics (einstein can't travel faster than the speed of light), 3) I really can't remember the third.
the important part is that all of these sciences come together in this box.
the quantun physics part is.... (I thinking really hard)...
radio active stuff decaying, triggering the 'cat killer'.
which is where the heisenburg (sp?) uncertanty principle comes in. you open the box and the cat is dead... did it die because you opened the box? did it die because the material decayed? the simple act of measuring the condition of the cat (opening the box) could have changed the condition of the cat.
isn't science fun?
2007-02-23 01:43:03 · answer #3 · answered by billy j 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is one of those things that, in my own mind, I sort of understand, but if I try to vocalize it, I only end up sounding like a moron who may or may not be on acid.
All I know is I really want to name a cat Schrodinger.
2007-02-23 01:35:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, the truth is, and most people do not know this...Schrödinger's cat is finicky! We can't get him to eat right because he is just so particular. The poor thing looks half-dead and it's just throwing nonrelativistic quantum mechanics into a state that I don't think anyone can be certain of.
Sorry about that, the truth hurts sometimes. (FYI: Don't ever give him catnip...trust me on this.)
2007-02-23 01:40:09 · answer #5 · answered by Shawn D 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What importance is Quantum Physics?
And who really cares if the damn cat dies?
2007-02-23 01:37:29 · answer #6 · answered by Adrianne 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋