Quantum entanglement and the Schrödinger experiment

In summary: Hi, @Seyara, welcome. No way: the coin has two sides. Here, everywhere. No comparison with the cat. Probability has nothing in common with quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, regard previous post. Mine is just an intuitive, naive, etc, opinion.The cat is not a simple quantum mechanical system. That is the point. The coin and the cat have that in common. They cannot be directly described by QM. The Schrodinger's cat thought experiment combines a simple QM system with an object, the cat, that we know is not described in the same simple way.
  • #1
Seyara
Ok so just tell me this, if you flip a coin with your eyes closed and it lands on your hand and then you look at the coin and it is heads… there was a time in the duration of the coin being in the air at which the coin was in a state of neither heads or tales. But only once it hits your hand it must pick one (in this case it picks heads facing up). now that you have opened your eyes and have knowledge that the coin is heads…… could you make a true statement that “the coin was heads only after the point at which it landed on my hand”

if what i'm asking does not make sense let me ask this in a more familiar scenario the Schrödinger experiment

if you open the box and the cat is dead, can you make a true statement that "the cat was dead after the point of explosion" even though it hadn't been observed at the time?
 
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  • #2
Seyara said:
Ok so just tell me this, if you flip a coin with your eyes closed and it lands on your hand and then you look at the coin and it is heads… there was a time in the duration of the coin being in the air at which the coin was in a state of neither heads or tales. But only once it hits your hand it must pick one (in this case it picks heads facing up). now that you have opened your eyes and have knowledge that the coin is heads…… could you make a true statement that “the coin was heads only after the point at which it landed on my hand”
Yes. The coin in the air is spinning and its orientation is always well defined. When it lands its orientation is fixed.
Seyara said:
if what i'm asking does not make sense let me ask this in a more familiar scenario the Schrödinger experiment

if you open the box and the cat is dead, can you make a true statement that "the cat was dead after the point of explosion" even though it hadn't been observed at the time?
Likewise, the cat cannot physically be neither alive nor dead. When you look all the evidence points to the cat having been dead for some time.

The question is how we resolve the dilemma if the cat's fate is entangled with a micoscopic system, which can be in a superposition of states.
 
  • #3
Seyara said:
could you make a true statement that “the coin was heads only after the point at which it landed on my hand”
Hi, @Seyara, welcome. No way: the coin has two sides. Here, everywhere. No comparison with the cat. Probability has nothing in common with quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, regard previous post. Mine is just an intuitive, naive, etc, opinion.
 
  • #4
mcastillo356 said:
Hi, @Seyara, welcome. No way: the coin has two sides. Here, everywhere. No comparison with the cat.
The cat is not a simple quantum mechanical system. That is the point. The coin and the cat have that in common. They cannot be directly described by QM. The Schrodinger's cat thought experiment combines a simple QM system with an object, the cat, that we know is not described in the same simple way.

The solution to the question is not to treat the cat as though it were a single atom and assume that elementary QM applies.
 
  • #5
PeroK said:
The solution to the question is not to treat the cat as though it were a single atom and assume that elementary QM applies.
Thanks. I've always thought that this cat is been amplified, decontextualized, trivialized, all the words ending in a disturbing "ed" :frown:. Actually, the cat is just a fingered metaphor
 

1. What is quantum entanglement?

Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon in which two or more particles become connected in such a way that the state of one particle is dependent on the state of the other, even when they are separated by large distances.

2. How does quantum entanglement work?

Quantum entanglement occurs when two particles are created or interact in a way that their properties become dependent on each other. This means that any change in one particle will result in a corresponding change in the other, no matter how far apart they are.

3. What is the significance of quantum entanglement?

Quantum entanglement is significant because it challenges our understanding of how particles behave and interact with each other. It also has potential applications in quantum computing, cryptography, and teleportation.

4. Can quantum entanglement be observed in everyday objects?

No, quantum entanglement is a phenomenon that occurs at the subatomic level and cannot be observed in everyday objects. It requires highly controlled laboratory conditions and specialized equipment to detect and measure.

5. Is it possible for quantum entanglement to be broken?

No, quantum entanglement cannot be broken. Once particles become entangled, their states are permanently linked, even if they are separated by large distances. However, the entanglement can be lost if the particles interact with their surroundings, causing them to lose their entanglement with each other.

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