the schrodingers cat paradox explained
The Schrodinger's Cat Paradox Explained
Posed by Erwin Schrödinger, Schrödinger's Cat paradox is a key thought experiment that illustrates the quantum theory of superposition. This Buzzle article looks at one of the most famous illustrations of quantum theory.
To underscore the strangeness of quantum mechanics and the probability interpretation, Erwin Schrödinger said, "I don't like it, and I'm sorry I ever had anything to do with it."
There are a few things that are as distressing to a cat (and physics) lover as the Schrödinger's Cat paradox. Yes, quantum mechanics, which explains the crazy behavior of particles at the subatomic level, is baffling to say the least, but it is also one of the most successful theories of science that has been developed in the twentieth century. We (including many classical physicists) believe that the world exists in a definite state, and we can discern the state by making careful observations.
This has been casually dumped by the quantum theory which believes that there is no unique state of a microscopic system, such as an atom. It is only with 'observation' that the state, a particle is in, can be recognized. Till then, it continues to remain in several states. This is known as 'quantum superposition.' The superposition of particles is broken down by measurement. Confusing and paradoxical? Well, that is what quantum theory is all about.
What does quantum theory have to do with a cat? Only if we could ask Erwin Schrödinger, the Nobel Prize winner, whose feline paradox proposed in 1935 gained so much prominence that recently Google decided to honor his 126th birthday with a cat-themed Doodle. Schrödinger's Cat is one of the most popular thought experiments (Gedankenexperiment) illustrating quantum indeterminacy―a standard description in quantum physics to explain the incompleteness in the description of a physical system.
What is the Schrödinger's Cat Paradox
How Does it Explain Quantum Weirdness
Measuring Microscopic and Macroscopic Objects
The Schrödinger's Cat paradox explains the apparent contradiction between things that are observable on the microscopic level and those that are visible to the naked eye. While the above-mentioned paradox may work well for microscopic elements, the same rules cannot be applied to larger, everyday objects. Microscopic particles, like electrons can only be observed by measurement. While in some experiments, they act wave-like, in others, they act particle-like, following straight line trajectories, or colliding and scattering. It is impossible to perform experiments without altering the state of the microscopic elements. As opposed to this, everyday objects are always in a single state, and we can take measurements without altering that state.
When Do Superpositions Collapse
Although the Copenhagen theory does say that the superpositions collapse when the box is opened and an observation is performed, it fails to mention how such an observer-induced collapse happens, or why a specific outcome happened as opposed to the other. This brings us to the famous tree-in-the-forest question, which states that, "When a tree falls in a lonely forest, and no one is nearby to hear it, does it make a sound?" Just because we do not observe the result, does it mean that it does not happen?