History of Schrodingers cat

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	Revision 11 . . (edit) December 12, 2001 1:22 pm by CYD *[ minor edit, fix link]**
	Revision 10 . . (edit) December 12, 2001 12:59 pm by The Cunctator *[A little editing.]**
	Revision 9 . . December 12, 2001 12:59 pm by The Cunctator *[A little editing.]**
	Revision 8 . . December 12, 2001 12:33 pm by (logged).93.53.xxx
	Revision 7 . . December 12, 2001 12:22 pm by (logged).93.53.xxx
	Revision 6 . . December 12, 2001 12:17 pm by (logged).93.53.xxx *[Previous description was misleading]**
	Revision 5 . . December 12, 2001 12:09 pm by Josh Grosse [...the states decohere, but you still have a superposition of them]
	Revision 4 . . (edit) December 12, 2001 11:01 am by CYD
	Revision 3 . . (edit) December 12, 2001 10:58 am by CYD
	Revision 2 . . December 12, 2001 10:53 am by CYD *[ cleanup]**
	Revision 1 . . December 12, 2001 10:42 am by CYD

Difference (from prior major revision) (minor diff, author diff)

Changed: 1,2c1,2

Schrödinger's cat is a [thought experiment]? that attempts to illustrate the incompleteness of the
theory of quantum mechanics.

Schrödinger's cat is a [thought experiment]? devised by Erwin Schrödinger that attempts to illustrate the incompleteness of the
theory of quantum mechanics when going from subatomic to macroscopic systems.

Changed: 4c4

Said cat is placed in a sealed box. Attached to the box is an apparatus containing a radioactive nucleus and a canister of poison gas. When the nucleus decays, it emits a particle that triggers the apparatus, which opens the canister and kills the cat.

Changed: 14c14,16

In the standard [Copenhagen Interpretation]?, a system stops being a mixture of states and becomes one or the other when an observation

Contrary to popular belief, Schrödinger did not intend this thought experiment to indicate that he believed that the dead-alive cat would actually exist; rather he considered the quantum mechanical theory to be incomplete and not representative of reality in this case.

In the Copenhagen interpretation, a system stops being a mixture of states and becomes one or the other when an observation

Changed: 24c26

In the Everett many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, which does not single out observation as a special process, both states persist, but decohere?. When an observer opens the box, he becomes entangled with the cat, so observer-states corresponding to the cat being alive and dead are formed, and each can have no interaction with the other.

In the Everett many-worlds interpretation, which does not single out observation as a special process, both states persist, but decohere?. When an observer opens the box, he becomes entangled with the cat, so observer-states corresponding to the cat being alive and dead are formed, and each can have no interaction with the other.

Removed: 39d40