Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Schrödinger's Idea

  (+16, -7)(+16, -7)
(+16, -7)
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Ahhh, you ruined it.
theleopard, Jul 11 2011

(?) Ecclesiastes 1:9 http://xkcd.com/45/
[mouseposture, Jul 11 2011]

Schrödinger’s List http://tinyurl.com/643mvbs
For [bigsleep] [theleopard, Jul 13 2011]

[link]






       <Looks round hopefully for dead cat>
8th of 7, Jul 11 2011
  

       I might have just laughed out loud - depends on if you could hear it
phundug, Jul 11 2011
  

       Not this time, Borgy.
Alterother, Jul 11 2011
  

       You are the cat.
pocmloc, Jul 11 2011
  

       Both Bun and Bone at the same time
Dub, Jul 11 2011
  

       //A cat works a whole lot better in the thought experiment than a walrus.// Paul is both dead and not-dead.
mouseposture, Jul 12 2011
  

       Both rolling and unrolling in his grave.
daseva, Jul 12 2011
  

       We are all aware that the cat is either alive and dead, and not in a quantum superposition of states, _before_ the box is opened, right? That there is no possibility of quantum coherence between the cat and the radioactive particle, because the cat is too big and warm and so forth? That that was the whole point of the thought experiment - a reductio ad absurdum, to challenge certain interpretations of 'observer' in quantum theory?   

       Just as we use 'custard' as a slightly more amusing term than 'fairly strong mix of raw cornstarch and water', we pretend to ignore the actual point of the cat experiment, for humour, right? It's just that it's not really all that funny.   

       [Edit] Sorry, that comes across more grumpily than intended. Carry on.
spidermother, Jul 12 2011
  

       It was 50% funny, until I read it.
Twizz, Jul 12 2011
  

       Where did the box go?


  

       [+]
xandram, Jul 12 2011
  

       // It was 50% funny, until I read it. //   

       And then it was 100% funny?
theleopard, Jul 12 2011
  

       It doesn't matter how funny it was once I read it. The point is that until it is read, it could be funny or not funny.
Twizz, Jul 12 2011
  

       //it could be funny or not funny //   

       Or both at the same time. Like Doug Stanhope.
theleopard, Jul 12 2011
  

       Ahhh ...the gentle sound of wavefunctions collapsing on the beach...
goff, Jul 12 2011
  

       Ah, the sweet Bun/Bone duality [Bigsleep], Probably.





{It's there until you try to view it }
Dub, Jul 13 2011
  

       Schrödinger's Bat - belfry reconnaissance
Schrödinger's Hat - see "persistence of hatness"
Schrödinger's Scat- did somebody step in something ?
Schrödinger's Fat - he's a bit sensitive about that one
Schrödinger's Vat - none of this "half full" or "half empty" crap, can I get a refill or not ?
FlyingToaster, Jul 13 2011
  

       How about an eponymous book that contains the idea, but until you open it you don't know if your understanding is right or wrong.
rcarty, Jul 13 2011
  

       //<Looks round hopefully for dead cat>//   

       Can anyone draw a dead cat in ASCII?
theleopard, Jul 13 2011
  

       [edit] - nope. <H><H><H><H><H>
[another edit]
Yes! ................ ............-......
................ ............\.\.....
................ ..............\.\.....
................ ..............|.|.....
................ ..............|.|.....
........../\---/\. .._,---._.|.|.....
........./^...^..\,'. ........`..;.....
........(.O...O...) ............;.....
.........`.=M=__,' ............\.....
.........../..... ..._,--.__....\.....
........../.._.)...,'. .`-..`-....\.....
........./.,'../..,'... ...\..\..\..\.....
.......././../.,'....... ....(,_)(,_).....
.......(,;..(,,)......... ...............
..................... ...................
zen_tom, Jul 13 2011
  

       (x_x)~
spidermother, Jul 13 2011
  

       [zen_tom], I liked that attempt, while it was still in existence...
theleopard, Jul 13 2011
  

       // Can anyone draw a dead cat in ASCII? //   

       <raises hands>   

       . ___V__V
A-(OOOOO)___
8th of 7, Jul 13 2011
  

       Schrödinger’s donger is a magnificent wonger, but it’s a mystery till you pull the fly, whether it is shorter or longer.
pocmloc, Jul 13 2011
  

       <looks at [8th of 7]'s dead cat>   

       Well, I suppose that's that sorted then.
theleopard, Jul 14 2011
  

       The cat in question shows every indication of not only being alive, but in motion.   

       The specification was for a DEAD cat. Do we have to draw a picture ? Oh, wait ...
8th of 7, Jul 14 2011
  

       It took me a minute to discern that dead cat, 8th. It was just a jumble of characters in one instance, and I could see glimpses of a dead cat at other times... It was in a strange... juxtaposition? Nooo... I need a better analogy, damnit!
daseva, Jul 14 2011
  

       //The specification was for a DEAD cat.//   

       Look, I took the liberty of examining [zen_tom]'s cat and I discovered that the only reason it was in an upright position in the first place is that it had been nailed there.
mouseposture, Jul 14 2011
  

       ^ ^ o \ \ / \ J O Believe it or not that's all the pieces of a dead cat.
rcarty, Jul 15 2011
  

       ................ .....................
................ ......................
........../\---/\. .._,---._..........
........./^...^..\,'. ........`--..;.....
........(.+...+...) ............;\_.....
.........`.=M=__,' ............\. \...
.........../..... ..._,--.__....\I.I...
........../.._.)...,'. .`-..`-....\.I....
........./.,'../..,'... ...\..\..\..\.....
.......././../.,'....... ....(,_)(,_).....
.......(,;..(,,)......... ...............
..................... ...................
  

       Kind of, lying on it's side, if you disregard perspective, and tilt your head to one side. And squint. Through some sunglasses... While drunk.   

       (Oh, and a cheeky [brevity] tag.)
theleopard, Jul 15 2011
  

       Ah yes. Thankyou, [lep], much more satisfactory.
8th of 7, Jul 15 2011
  

       8th's dead cat is the worst (therefore the best) ASCII drawing I have ever seen. I especially like the little nose pointing up toward cat heaven.
sqeaketh the wheel, Jul 15 2011
  

       Better with the eyes as x's.   

       ................ .....................
................ ......................
........../\---/\. .._,---._..........
........./.^...^..\,'. ........`--..;.....
........(..x....x..) ............;\_.....
.........`.=M=__,' ............\. \...
.........../..... ..._,--.__....\I.I...
........../.._.)...,'. .`-..`-....\.I....
........./.,'../..,'... ...\..\..\..\.....
.......././../.,'....... ....(,_)(,_).....
.......(,;..(,,)......... ...............
..................... ...................
RayfordSteele, Jul 16 2011
  

       "Good Lord - I've heard about this - cat juggling! Stop! Stop! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Good. Father, could there be a God that would let this happen?"
RayfordSteele, Jul 18 2011
  

       This was solved by my 7 year old son: If the box moves, the cat is alive because a cat inside a box, is a very ángry cat!
Susan, Oct 21 2016
  

       Nice, respect theleopard.
wjt, Oct 22 2016
  

       Susan's comment on the cat emitting more energy (wiggling the container) than the radioactive thingy is interesting! If the cat were slighty radioactive it could trigger the detector with greater reliability than the experiments isotope source.   

       This has a spurious congruence with what if different people read a hebrew calibrated detector, say Feynman, who doesn't know Hebrew, and Einstein, who might. This might just possibly matter, as the MWI could depend on observer capability of observation. I have tried to come up with designs of computers that are better at being the observer resolving an experiment than a human. (superobserver computers)
beanangel, Oct 22 2016
  

       // If the cat were slighty radioactive //   

       Could you work with 'very radioactive' ? You want irradiation, or isotope contamination ? Any particular range of the Actinides ?   

       // what if different people read a hebrew calibrated detector .... depend on observer capability of observation. //   

       An admirable exposition of the quite remarkable disconnect in your comprehension between Quantum phenonena and macroscopic phenomena.   

       The Copenhagen Interpretation and the Uncertainty Principle apply very specifically at a quantum level; interpolating this to the event of a human observer taking readings from a calibrated instrument would be funny, if it weren't so sad.
8th of 7, Oct 22 2016
  

       And here's me thinking it is all about what kind of door is installed in the box. A glass one isn't that fair, is it?
wjt, Oct 23 2016
  

       Not if it has a convincing image of a cat flap on it, no.   

       But very funny ...
8th of 7, Oct 23 2016
  

       Damn it...you caught me!
Ling, Oct 24 2016
  

       [8th of 7] er, I thought there were about 4 versions now, there are many (majority?) actual physicists that think copenhagen is far out. that said, it is true I (obviously) only partially comprehend quantum physics.
beanangel, Oct 24 2016
  

       Doesn't opening the box also have a probability of disturbing the isotope?
wjt, Oct 26 2016
  

       No. Isotopic decay is unaffected by purely mechanical forces.
8th of 7, Oct 26 2016
  
      
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