Schrodinger’s Cat is a thought experiment created by Austrian physicist, Erwin Schrodinger It depicts a scenario in which a cat is placed into a sealed box along with a Geiger counter, a radioactive source, and a flask containing a poison. The hypothetical experiment is devised to demonstrate that at any given moment, the cat is both alive and dead, due to the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics.
The thought experiment was devised to illustrate the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics. It highlights the idea that, on the quantum level, events are not defined until they are observed. This paradox of Schrödinger’s Cat is known as a quantum superposition.
The five best examples of Schrodinger’s Cat are as follows:
1. Schrödinger's Cat in a Box: This is the classic version of the experiment, in which a cat is placed in a sealed box with a Geiger counter, a radioactive source, and a flask containing poison. The Geiger counter is set to detect any decay of the radioactive material. If it does detect decay, the flask will break open and the cat will die. If there is no decay, the cat will remain alive.
2. Schrödinger's Cat in a Race Car: In this variation, the cat is placed in a race car that is travelling down a track at a constant speed with the Geiger counter, radioactive source, and flask of poison. At the end of the track, the race car is either going to crash or make it safely to the finish. If the car crashes, the flask will break open and the cat will die. If the car reaches the end, the cat will remain alive.
3. Schrödinger’s Cat in a Maze: In this scenario, the cat is placed in a maze with two exits. One exit is marked "dead" and the other "alive". The cat can only make it out of the maze if it takes the correct route, otherwise it will be stuck in the maze. The cat is then either alive or dead, depending on its route.
4. Schrödinger’s Cat in a Casino: In this version, a cat is placed in a casino and given a certain amount of money and a set of dice. The cat then places bets on the outcome of the dice roll and if it wins, it is alive, if not, it dies.
5. Schrödinger’s Cat in a Quantum Computer: This version of the experiment is the most complex, as it involves the use of a quantum computer. The cat is placed in a quantum computer, which is programmed to compute a certain result. The outcome of the computation, either alive or dead, will be the result for the cat.