Schrödinger's cat
Boxed superposition thought-experiment
Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment in quantum physics where a cat in a sealed box is simultaneously alive and dead until observed—illustrating the paradox of quantum superposition.
The phrase has escaped physics to describe any situation with two contradictory possibilities that remain unresolved: Whether we're still dating is a bit of a Schrödinger's cat situation.
Physics at nanoscopic scales
- Copenhagen interpretationStandard quantum measurement theory
- wavefunctionQuantum state's mathematical representation
- observer effectWatching something changes it
- collapseSudden structural failure
box · radioactive decay · poison · vial · macroscopic · hypothetical · counterintuitive · measurement problem
Quantum state's mathematical representation
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- decoherenceLoss of quantum coherence
- coherenceLogical internal consistency
- eigenstateOperator-invariant quantum state
quantum state · amplitude · probability · collapse · duality · Heisenberg · Planck · quantization
Shared online humor
- jokeHumorous statement seeking laughter
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- nerd humorJokes for the knowledgeable
- t-shirtCasual pullover garment
Lack of fixed outcome
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
- unknownNot yet discovered
superposed · simultaneity · unresolved · limbo · in-between · pending · undetermined · fuzzy
Study of existence's nature
- metaphysicsPhilosophy of existence's nature
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- determinismDoctrine of causal necessity
- indeterminismDoctrine allowing genuine randomness
realism · instrumentalism · counterfactuals · phenomenology · observation · consciousness · existence · reality
quantum mechanics
Physics at nanoscopic scales
- Copenhagen interpretationStandard quantum measurement theory
- wavefunctionQuantum state's mathematical representation
- observer effectWatching something changes it
collapse · box · radioactive decay · poison · vial · macroscopic · hypothetical · counterintuitive · measurement problem · alive and dead
wavefunction
Quantum state's mathematical representation
- entanglementState of being intertwined
- decoherenceLoss of quantum coherence
- coherenceLogical internal consistency
eigenstate · quantum state · amplitude · probability · collapse · duality · Heisenberg · Planck · quantization · qubit
meme
Shared online humor
- jokeHumorous statement seeking laughter
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- nerd humorJokes for the knowledgeable
indeterminacy
Lack of fixed outcome
- probabilityQuantified chance of occurrence
- ambiguityOpenness to multiple interpretations
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
unknown · superposed · simultaneity · unresolved · limbo · in-between · pending · undetermined · fuzzy
ontology
Study of existence's nature
- metaphysicsPhilosophy of existence's nature
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- determinismDoctrine of causal necessity
indeterminism · realism · instrumentalism · counterfactuals · phenomenology · observation · consciousness · existence · reality · knowledge
Schrödinger's catclassical physics
Pre-twentieth-century natural science
Newtonian mechanics · determinism · clockwork universe · classical mechanics · Newtonian physics