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schrodinger's comic paradox

rz350

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For nerds and geeks.

http://xkcd.com/comics/schrodinger.jpg
 
Schrödinger was an idiot. 
OK, here is his paradox.  You have a box, in which you have a cat.  In your hand is a vial of "stuff" that has an exact 50% chance of turning to poison when released into the box.  You release it.  The cat is neither dead nor alive, it is in a "superposition" between existence and non-existence, because you cannot tell if it's alive.  Hello!  Schrödinger!  The cat's existence is not dependant on any third party's observation  (This is sort of a birkenstock-wearing version of a tree falling in the forest "riddle" for pseudo-philosophers who waste their time on empty theories.  They piss me off)


And yes I'm qualified to say that *looking at degree on wall*  (After all, someone has to)

And yes, it's been 7 years and I FINALLY have used SOMETHING from that degree!  ;D

 
von Garvin said:
And yes, it's been 7 years and I FINALLY have used SOMETHING from that degree!   ;D

See it wasn't a waste after all, and it just (shudder) proves that you are .....er.....normal  ;D
 
Sheerin said:
gotta love quantum mechanics..... or not

For most people it exsits in a super-posistion as they took classes like under water basket weaving, thus never observing quantum mechanics. ;D
 
For most people it exsits in a super-posistion as they took classes like under water basket weaving, thus never observing quantum mechanics.

Cute, but true :)

 
To be fair to poor Schrodinger, he didn't intend the thought experiment to be taken as a supposition.  He intention was to show the strangeness that can occur when applying quantum mechanics to the macroscopic world and hence the incompleteness of the then current view of quantum mechanics.
 
Schrödinger's thought experiment about the cat was formulated to highlight an inconsistency in the interpretation of quantum mechanics when going from the subatomic to macroscopic systems. That it comes to an absurd conclusion everybody intuitively knows is wrong is the whole point. For anybody unsure of the answer: The cat's existence is independent of any observation so it's alive or dead. The problem these days is lots of physics isn't very intuitive and as a result people take the idea of the cat being both alive and dead at face value. So what was in essence a joke story has had it's punchline removed by being told out of context.
 
Schrödinger (not Schrodinger) is still an idiot (because we went on at GREAT LENGTH in many of my philosophy classes about him, thus wasting my time!!!)

;D
 
von Garvin said:
Schrödinger (not Schrodinger) is still an idiot (because we went on at GREAT LENGTH in many of my philosophy classes about him, thus wasting my time!!!)

;D

Ah, but obviously not a total waste of time for it allowed you to be in the position of calling him an idiot (I love this game.  What?  Not a game?  Darn) ;D
 
rmacqueen said:
Ah, but obviously not a total waste of time for it allowed you to be in the position of calling him an idiot (I love this game.  What?  Not a game?  Darn) ;D
Oh, game on, baby!
After all, I'm back to work Tuesday :(
 
von Garvin said:
Oh, game on, baby!
After all, I'm back to work Tuesday :(

At work, von Garvin is having a race with Zeno to the water cooler. Strangely, he is never going to reach it...........
 
a_majoor said:
At work, von Garvin is having a race with Zeno to the water cooler. Strangely, he is never going to reach it...........

Your first mistake was saying "vongarvin" and "work" in the same sentence.  Then saying "race" would lead one to assume that he is young and still able to move that fast.  And lastly, you're stating that he is going TO the water cooler, when we all know that he never leaves it.  Oh no, sorry, that's the cooler that has liquid that is colourless and odourless LIKE water.... ;)

(this IS the game right? picking on von g?  ;D)
 
And then there is that less-well-known philosophical puzzle, 'Schroedinger's Soldier'

A soldier is placed in a sealed box. Attached to the box is an apparatus containing an American Pork IMP and Naval Emergency Survival rations. This apparatus is separated from the soldier in such a way that the soldier can in no way interfere with it. The experiment is set up so that there is exactly a 50% chance of the soldier eating either the  Pork IMP or the Naval rations.  If the IMP is triggered, the soldier eats the IMP, releases a gaseous emission, and suffocates.  If the navy ration is triggered, the dead weight of the Naval ration falls and crushed the soldier. 

Solution: According to Army mechanics, the soldier waits for the lid to close.  Thinking that it is night time, the soldier makes a rope out of his socks, lassoes the IMP, turns the heating element and his water carrier into an IMP bomb, and blows out the side of the box.  Grabbing the heavy dead-weight of the Navy ration, the soldier knocks the two observing scientists unconscious, then makes his way off to the nearest pub.

 
Centurian1985 said:
And then there is that less-well-known philosophical puzzle, 'Schroedinger's Soldier'

A soldier is placed in a sealed box. Attached to the box is an apparatus containing an American Pork IMP and Naval Emergency Survival rations. This apparatus is separated from the soldier in such a way that the soldier can in no way interfere with it. The experiment is set up so that there is exactly a 50% chance of the soldier eating either the  Pork IMP or the Naval rations.  If the IMP is triggered, the soldier eats the IMP, releases a gaseous emission, and suffocates.  If the navy ration is triggered, the dead weight of the Naval ration falls and crushed the soldier. 

Solution: According to Army mechanics, the soldier waits for the lid to close.  Thinking that it is night time, the soldier makes a rope out of his socks, lassoes the IMP, turns the heating element and his water carrier into an IMP bomb, and blows out the side of the box.  Grabbing the heavy dead-weight of the Navy ration, the soldier knocks the two observing scientists unconscious, then makes his way off to the nearest pub.

Where he proceeds to complain about the IMP's
 
Hmm LOOK! The cat is in the box. wait, no he's not, the chances are he's out. No, In. No, out. Darn - everytime I look, I'm uncertain as to his location....

:)
 
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