Schrödinger’s cat is a thought experiment about quantum physics. It was designed by Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. He was a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, born on August 12, 1887, in Vienna, Austria. Schrödinger was highly gifted and had a broad education. He passed away on the 4th of January 1961.
This thought experiment states that if you seal a cat in a box along with a Geiger counter (an instrument that measures the amount of radiation) and a bit of radioactive substance, the cat could be considered dead or alive.
How does Schrödinger’s cat work?
Since the radioactive substance is so small, it is possible that, after a while, one atom breaks down or perhaps none. If the atom breaks down, it triggers the counter, and through a relay, a hammer releases a hammer that breaks a small bottle of hydrocyanic acid (a very poisonous substance that could kill the cat). Since the box is locked and we can’t see if the radioactive substance has broken down and the poison has been released, we don’t know if the cat is alive or dead. There is a 50 percent chance the cat is alive, and there is a 50 percent chance the cat is dead. So until we open the box to check if the cat is alive, the cat is both alive and dead.
How is it applied to physics?
Classical physics and quantum mechanics are two categories of physics. Most physical interactions, such as why a ball bounces when it drops, are explained by classical physics. Physical interactions, such as what will happen when you drop a ball, can also be predicted using it. It does not, however, explain all physical interactions, such as how light can be converted into electricity. Physics experts have a means to explain why these events take place, according to quantum physics.
Without actually looking at it (observing it or measuring it), the Copenhagen interpretation is used to describe what is happening at the tiniest component of an atom (a subatomic particle). To demonstrate how likely anything is to occur to the particle. It is possible to think of a particle as having a 50% chance of existing in one place at one time or another. However, observing a particle is the only way to know for certain where it is. According to the Copenhagen Interpretation, a particle can be both present and absent at the same time. The only way to determine if a particle is present or not is to observe it. In quantum physics, this makes sense, but in classical (real-world) physics, it does not.
Is the cat still alive, or has it passed away at the end of the hour? According to Schrödinger’s interpretation of the Copenhagen Interpretation, the cat is both dead and alive as long as the door is closed. Before the door is opened, there is no way to know. However, the individual is tampering with the experiment by opening the door. Both the subject and the experiment must be described in reference to each other. The experiment has been impacted by the person looking at it, so it may not have produced the right result.
This thought experiment is used to show how scientific theory works. No one knows how scientific theory works until that theory is tested and proven.
Links:
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat#:~:text=4%20References-,Simple%20Explanation,both%20%22dead%20and%20alive%22.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1933/schrodinger/biographical/
https://builtin.com/software-engineering-perspectives/schrodingers-cat