SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT
(or, a tail of two kitties)
Contributed by Jon McKay
This refers to a famous experiment in probability.
A box is rigged thus: A poison gas canister is attached to the box. The trigger for the gas is set up with a small sample of radioactive material so that in a given time, the chance is exactly ½ that the gas will be released[1].
Take 1 large annoyed cat. Attempt to place it in the box. Call an ambulance and have the severe lacerations on your arms and head seen to. Take 1 placid cute kitten. Drop it in the box. Much easier!
Wait for the given length of time. The paradox now formed is this:
The cat is now definitely either alive or
dead. But is it one or the other? Even though the event, if it
happened, has by now taken place, is the probability of one or the
other result still 50%?
Think about this carefully.
Now go and have a good lie down.
It is useful to note that the Schrodinger's cat experiment has only been carried out under full test conditions at the Maximegalon Institute for Extreme Cleverness, but due to an improbability party in the next room, the results were:
- Two cats died[2] of gas (or at least extreme indigestion).
- One cat developed a hammer drill attachment and tunneled its way out of the box.
- One cat was eaten by the box, which then asked for the dessert menu before retiring to a corner of the room and muttering about how these places were not as good as they used to be.