Schrödinger's cat in popular culture explained

Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment, usually described as a paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. It illustrates what he saw as absurdities in the views that other physicists had about quantum mechanics (ideas later labeled the Copenhagen interpretation), by applying them not to microscopic objects but to everyday ones. The thought experiment presents a cat that might be alive or dead, depending on an earlier random event. In the course of developing this experiment, he coined the term Verschränkung (entanglement).[1] It was not long before science-fiction writers picked up this evocative concept, often using it in a humorous vein.[2] Works of fiction have employed Schrödinger's thought experiment as plot device and as metaphor, in genres from apocalyptic science fiction to young-adult drama, making the cat more prominent in popular culture than in physics itself.[3] [4] [5] [6]

Schrödinger's cat has been a motive in many science fiction works, and used as a title of a number of them, including Greg Bear's "Schrödinger's Plague" (Analog, 29 March 1982), George Alec Effinger's "Schrödinger's Kitten" (Omni, September 1988), Ursula Le Guin's "Schrödinger's Cat" (in the 1974 anthology Universe 5), F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre's "Schrödinger's Cat-Sitter" (Analog, July/August 2001), Rudy Rucker's "Schrödinger's Cat" (Analog, 30 March 1981), and Robert Anton Wilson's Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy (1988), illustrating various interpretations of quantum physics.[7] [8] In addition to novels and short stories, Schrödinger's cat has appeared in film,[9] [10] [11] poetry[12] [13] theatre,[14] [15] live-action television,[16] cartoons,[17] [18] [19] music,[20] and webcomics.[3]

Notes and References

  1. [Erwin Schrödinger|E. Schrödinger]
  2. Book: 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization . 34 . Sam Stall. 978-1-59474-163-0. 2007-05-01. Quirk Books .
  3. Robert P. . Crease . The cat that never dies . 2012 . Physics World . 25 . 4 . 18–19 . 10.1088/2058-7058/25/04/27. 2012PhyW...25d..18C . free .
  4. Ryan . Marie-Laure . 2011 . Narrative/Science Entanglements: On the Thousand and One Literary Lives of Schrödinger's Cat . Narrative . 19 . 2 . 171–186 . 41289295 . 1063-3685.
  5. Kravitz . Bennett . 2013 . Thoughts on the Anti-Detective in Paul Auster's "New York Trilogy", Adam Ross's "Mister Peanut", and Martha Grimes' "The Old Wine Shades" . Studies in Popular Culture . 36 . 1 . 45–61 . 23610151 . 0888-5753.
  6. Branzburg . Judith V. . 2000-10-31 . Dead cats and live bodies . The Lesbian Review of Books . 7 . 1 . 3.
  7. Web site: SFE: Wilson, Robert Anton . 2022-12-03 . sf-encyclopedia.com.
  8. Web site: SFE: Thought Experiment . 2022-12-03 . sf-encyclopedia.com.
  9. Web site: Goldberg . Matt . 2020-04-17 . A Serious Man Ending Explained: The Crucible of American Judaism . 2022-12-03 . Collider . en-US.
  10. Web site: Orr . Christopher . 2014-09-25 . 30 Years of Coens: A Serious Man . 2022-12-03 . The Atlantic . en.
  11. Collis . Clark . 2014-06-20 . Coherence . 2022-12-03 . Entertainment Weekly . en.
  12. Web site: Landsman . Peggy . "Schrodinger's Cat" . Scientific American . April 2022 . 22 February 2023.
  13. Web site: Robbins . Hollis . "His Paws Upon The Dish" . Per Contra Journal . Per Contra . 22 February 2023.
  14. Web site: Playbill Review. Schrodingers Girlfriend . World Premiere Schrodinger's Girlfriend Closes Nov. 18 at San Fran's Magic. https://web.archive.org/web/20100517085507/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/63363-World-Premiere-Schrodingers-Girlfriend-Closes-Nov-18-at-San-Frans-Magic. 2010-05-17 . 18 November 2001. 2015-01-06.
  15. Web site: SFGate Review. 'Girlfriend' runs out of inspiration / Ideas bog down physics comedy . 5 November 2001 . 2015-12-05.
  16. Web site: Mohan . Geoffrey . 2013-08-12 . Google doodle honors physicist Erwin Schrodinger and his cat . 2022-12-02 . Baltimore Sun.
  17. News: Sum thing to do with maths genius. Gordon Farrer. 2006-01-06. 2007-08-28. Melbourne. The Age.
  18. Singh . Simon . October 2014 . Theories of quantum levity . Physics World . 27 . 10 . 80 . 10.1088/2058-7058/27/10/41 . 2014PhyW...27j..80S . 0953-8585.
  19. Web site: 2017-03-24 . The Famous Schrodinger's Cat Thought Experiment Gets Brought to Life in an Off-Kilter Animation . 2022-12-02 . Open Culture . en-US.
  20. Web site: NIGHTMARE シュレーディンガーナイフ 歌詞 – 歌詞探索【歌詞リリ】 . 2023-05-28 . Lyrical Nonsense.

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