“There is a difference between a shaky or
out-of-focus photograph and a snapshot of clouds and fog banks.”- Erwin
Schrödinger
Hello and welcome to
my new blog “Physics Talk” and here is my first post about the Schrodinger’s
Cat.
P.S- It’s not about
someone’s cat, for those of you who has no idea what it is. But worry not that’s
where I come in to solve your scientific doubts. I can assure you that after
reading my post you will not just learn a new thing but will also be interested
to know more.
So lets begin…
Schrodinger’s Cat was a thought experiment devised
by Erwin Schrodinger, a physicist who is famous for his works in Quantum
Mechanics. In the 1920s, physicist Neils Bohr gave the Copenhagen
Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. It stated that a physical system does not
have definite properties, like spin, unless being measured. Quantum mechanics
only predicts the probability of the property. If the property is measured then
the wave function collapses and a definite value of the property is obtained. Schrodinger
stated the Schrodinger’s Cat experiment to show the absurdity of the Copenhagen
Interpretation.
He stated that if a cat is locked in a sealed steel
chamber containing the following devices: a gieger counter for counting the
amount of radioactive decay and a radioactive element. In one hour one of the
atoms of the radioactive element may decay or may not. If it decays it will
release an atomic particle, which in turn will hit the gieger counter which
will release a hammer and smash a flask containing hydrocyanic acid (poison),
this will kill the cat. If the radioactive element doesn’t break down then the
cat will be alive after an hour. According to Copenhagen interpretation, the
cat may be both alive and dead after an hour. It can only be known if the
chamber is opened. But by opening the box the experiment is interfered.
Therefore, without interfering with the experiment the state of the cat can be
known as the superposition of different states (dead and alive just like a
zombie).
Schrodinger said that it was ridiculous. An object
cannot be both dead and alive. Therefore he used this experiment to show the
fault in Copenhagen Interpretation. Even Einstein agreed with Schrodinger. He
even wrote Schrodinger a letter acknowledging the experiment. Although there
are many articles on the internet stating that Schrodinger agreed with the
Copenhagen Interpretation, but actually that was not the case.
Today there are experiments which shows that the
Copenhagen Interpretation is correct for microscopic particles like electrons,
positrons, etc.
So what do you think, the cat will be dead or alive?
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