ok, is Schrödinger's cat alive or dead ? just answer 'alive' or 'dead'?

Question

in the textbooks it says its both ? until you check - then its one or the other.

Well, actually - the cat is supposed to be abit of both. But when you open the box -- He's one or the other... No matter how much i think about this it still doesnt make sense - I just thought maybe someone on here would know... is the little fella alive or dead ?

Answer 1

Both!

Schroedinger actually used the cat analogy to show how ridiculous quantum theory is! The thought experiment was to think of a quantum mechanical state that would directly affect the macroscopic world. So, there's a 50% probability the radioactive isotope decayed and released poison gas. This means there's a 50% probability of the cat being dead. However, quantum mechanics says in this system, unless you observe the final state, all states exist. Applied to the cat in the box it seems nonsensical - how can a cat be both alive and dead? But a single electron passing through a wall with two slits has an equal chance of passing through either slit. It's a fundamental object which cannot be broken down, so you'd imagine so. But it doesn't. It goes through both. It interferes with itself - and this has been seen. It is in two places at once, in the same way the cat is both dead and alive at once. However, if you try to measure which of the slits it goes through, it will only go through one, in the same way that if you open the box to look, the cat will be either alive or dead.

Answer 2

The cat's alive and is only a metaphor to describe events at a quantum level.

Actually, there could be a pair of cats both of which would be neither dead nor alive until an observation was made. Then if you checked 1 cat and it was alive then you would know, without looking, that the 2nd cat was dead!... and vice versa of course.
.

Answer 3

Alive

Answer 4

Alive

Answer 5

Dead

Answer 6

Need a little validation to rid yourself of confusion? The cat is alive. There, does that make you feel better? Good. Now have a lollipop and go to bed.

Answer 7

his was used to describe the motion of light. Light has characteristics of particle motion and wave motion but until you observe the photon (or packet) of light, you wouldn't know what motion it had.

An analogy of the cat being dead or alive is that wave motion on an ocsilliscope is like /\/\/\/\/\ and particle motion is like -----. Just watch ER or Casulty on TV and the first shows a heartbeat therefore alive, the second no heartbeat therefore dead.

Answer 8

*** Alive ***

Isn't the Schrodinger's cat idea flawed? It says that poor little kitty is in an indeterminate dead/alive state until she's observed. But kitty can observe too - or does feline perception not count?

Answer 9

if the book says one or the other, it must mean the cat's alive. or dead. who's Schrödinger? wait, that's a question. sorry. dead.

Answer 10

It was 1935 when Schrödinger wrote his paper.
The cat is definitely dead by now.