Thought Experiment Thread

#1

Another thread got derailed about thought experiments and philosophy (guilty party present) so I thought it might be a good idea to make a thread for it.

Here’s a couple animated to kick it off:
6 famous thought experiments
On a side note, I always know the common interpretation of Shrodinger’s cat was bullshit (that a 50/50 chance of a dead cat in the box means the cat is both dead and alive) but I never knew the actual thought experiment. It’s nice to finally know what that’s about.

To kick off some discussion on this, the experiment relates to how in quantum mechanics an observation can change the state of the object observed (or at least as I understand it). Schrodinger assumes that, before the human observer enters the equation, the atom has not been observed and thus the atom is in both states at one time. But what if it were a human in the box? Clearly the human would count as an observer and he would observe himself dying or living rather than being dead and alive at the same time. Which begs the question, is the cat an observer? Is the cat either dead or alive, not both at the same time, because it is an observer? And then what is the cut off for what is an observer or not? I suspect that this could be answered by someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.

#2

I’d like to point something out: Schrodinger’s Cat wasn’t providing an example of a situation in which a cat is simultaneously alive and dead. It was disproving a particular interpretation of quantum mechanics by providing an example of situation which is completely absurd - It makes no sense for a cat to be alive and dead at the same time!

Anyway, you already pointed that out, my bad.

#3

The bit about observing a particle changing its characteristics is a misbelief as well. The tools used to measure those particles were affecting behavior.

#4

I once made an object that took on a quantum state, it was there, but after I looked away and back, it was not. (literally within 0.5 seconds)

I took a fresh helium balloon, then I attached a bunch of random shit to weigh it down so precisely that it wouldn’t have touched any walls, ceiling or floor for hours, just gravitating slightly near the core of my empty room with all windows and doors closed, then I turn around to look at what time it is and poof! Gone.

#5

cool

I thought it was supposed to point out how quantum experiments provide counter-intuitive but accurate results?

#6

Well, the idea is that you can’t observe something without affecting it, period. As an example, you can’t see an object unless there’s light bouncing off it, which will affect it.

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