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Historic Trivia - Schrödinger's Cat
THE MOST ENIGMATIC CAT IN OUR UNIVERSE, OR ANY UNIVERSE, FOR THAT MATTER
For more than a century, physicists have struggled to understand quantum mechanics - the rules governing the behaviour of subatomic particles. This is important because the knowledge is essential for everything from nuclear power to computer science to genetic engineering. But it's also maddening, because these incredibly small objects don't behave in ways the average person would consider normal. Or even rational.
One of the most bedevilling problems is that while in the "big" universe one can chart the positions of planets and stars based on mathematical formulas, the subatomic world's behaviour can't be easily predicted. For instance, it is physically impossible to determine both the momentum and precise position of an electron orbiting an atomic nucleus. What this means, in layman's terms, is that our entire known world is constructed of things that can't even be known.
Great minds have expended enormous quantities of chalk and covered numberless chalkboards trying to reconcile the operation of the tiny quantum universe with our "real" world. In 1934, physicist Erwin Schrödinger tried to illustrate those complexities by using, of all things, an imaginary cat.
Schrödinger designed a thought experiment in which an atomic nucleus was used in a game of automated Russian roulette with a theoretical feline. Writing in the German magazine Natural Sciences, he ruminated about what might happen if a cat were placed in a sealed box with a canister of poison gas that was connected in some way to a radioactive atomic nucleus. The nucleus has an exactly 50 percent chance of decaying in one hour. If it does, its radiation will open the gas canister, killing the cat. If it doesn't decay, the canister won't open and the cat will survive.
Here's where things get strange. According to our understanding of quantum mechanics, sub-atomic particles such as the nucleus could exist in many states at once, until some sort of outside stimulus forced them into one course of action. In the world of quantum physics, the mere act of observation can accomplish this. In other words, someone looking at it could cause the nucleus to stop fluxing between multiple states and, in essence, pick a side. Thus, an observer who opened the box after an hour would find either a dead cat or a live cat.
But what goes inside the container before the human looks and forces the nucleus down one road or the other? According to some interpretations of a quantum theory, inside this Twilight Zone of a ...
[to read more you will have to get the book (pages 34 to 45 of 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization)
Lumière Brothers' First Film Screening for a Paying Public Audience
In 1882, French inventor Louise Lumière developed a method of making photographic plates. By 1894, he and his brother August were producing 15 million plates a year. They worked on improving Edison's kinetoscope, and, in 1895, patented their combination movie camera and projector, The Cinématographe. Their 46-second film La Sortie des ouvriers de l'usine Lumière is considered the first motion picture and was one of 10 included in their first public film screening. What is its subject? More...- 2007 - Nepal abolishes monarchy
The amendment to the Nepalese constitution that declared the country a federal republic was passed by the parliament. The transition was completed on May 28, 2008. Established in 1768 by Prithvi Narayan Shah, the Kingdom of Nepal lasted for over 200 years. Nepal is the world's only country with Hinduism as the state religion. - 1972 - Kim il Sung becomes first president of North Korea
Kim Il-sung became the first and only president of South Korea under an amended constitution. He was elected to the post by the members of the North Korean parliament, which is also known as the Supreme People's Assembly. The post was abolished in 1998, and Kim II-sung was given the title of Eternal President of Korea. - 1968 - Israel raid on Beirut Airport
The Israeli Defence Forces mounted a special operation, also known as Operation Gift, on Beirut Airport. The raid was in retaliation to the attack on El Al Flight 253, which was en route from Tel Aviv to New York. During its layover in Athens, Greece, two Palestinians fired at passengers and crew and killed 1 person. In retaliation, Israel destroyed several passenger and cargo planes parked at Beirut Airport. There were no fatalities during the raid. - 1885 - Indian National Congress founded
The party is one of the two main political parties in India. Created by the members of the Theosophical Society, the party was a major player in India's independence movement against the British. After Independence, the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru belonged to the INC. - 1836 - South Australia becomes a British colony
The central southern state of Australia was first established as a province in 1834 by the British Parliament under the South Australia Act. The day was observed as Proclamation Day in the state, which was later turned into an extra holiday after Christmas Day.
Historic Trivia - Schrödinger's CatTHE MOST ENIGMATIC CAT IN OUR UNIVERSE, OR ANY UNIVERSE, FOR THAT MATTER
For more than a century, physicists have struggled to understand quantum mechanics - the rules governing the behaviour of subatomic particles. This is important because the knowledge is essential for everything from nuclear power to computer science to genetic engineering. But it's also maddening, because these incredibly small objects don't behave in ways the average person would consider normal. Or even rational.
One of the most bedevilling problems is that while in the "big" universe one can chart the positions of planets and stars based on mathematical formulas, the subatomic world's behaviour can't be easily predicted. For instance, it is physically impossible to determine both the momentum and precise position of an electron orbiting an atomic nucleus. What this means, in layman's terms, is that our entire known world is constructed of things that can't even be known.
Great minds have expended enormous quantities of chalk and covered numberless chalkboards trying to reconcile the operation of the tiny quantum universe with our "real" world. In 1934, physicist Erwin Schrödinger tried to illustrate those complexities by using, of all things, an imaginary cat.
Schrödinger designed a thought experiment in which an atomic nucleus was used in a game of automated Russian roulette with a theoretical feline. Writing in the German magazine Natural Sciences, he ruminated about what might happen if a cat were placed in a sealed box with a canister of poison gas that was connected in some way to a radioactive atomic nucleus. The nucleus has an exactly 50 percent chance of decaying in one hour. If it does, its radiation will open the gas canister, killing the cat. If it doesn't decay, the canister won't open and the cat will survive.
Here's where things get strange. According to our understanding of quantum mechanics, sub-atomic particles such as the nucleus could exist in many states at once, until some sort of outside stimulus forced them into one course of action. In the world of quantum physics, the mere act of observation can accomplish this. In other words, someone looking at it could cause the nucleus to stop fluxing between multiple states and, in essence, pick a side. Thus, an observer who opened the box after an hour would find either a dead cat or a live cat.
But what goes inside the container before the human looks and forces the nucleus down one road or the other? According to some interpretations of a quantum theory, inside this Twilight Zone of a ...
[to read more you will have to get the book (pages 34 to 45 of 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization)
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