Quantum Curiosity for Cats
A cat's guide to Schrödinger’s Paradox (in a box!)
Imagine a future where cats have evolved (let’s say it’s the year 2124) to read and understand our concept of books and written words. Not saying that they would be fond of it, because books were created by humans and humans are the lower class (ick), but hey – feline lords can read and understand OUR books. What would be the first-ever book they would like to read? What would be the first-ever book written for cats? Not saying that I’m entitled to do that as I’m just a human and you’re a future scholar cat (hello from 100 years before, meow), but here we are.
Being both alive and… not so alive, but yay – you’re in the box! How?
We humans had this guy named Erwin Schrödinger, almost a hundred years before me and another hundred (almost) before you. He was a nice guy, but he created a concept where some lovely cat (yes, your respectful ancestor) would be locked in a steel chamber – or a cardboard box, if you prefer – with a bit of radioactive substance (radioactive = not friendly). This substance would be slowly released and counted by a Geiger counter (Geiger was also a nice guy, Hans). The elegant cat in the box might be good and lively or, well, not so much. Dead is the word – pardon my language, my sensitive felines. But we (and you) wouldn’t know until Schrödinger or any other scientist opened the box. So yes, you can be both cute and devilish with those little paws and purrfect fur, but you can also be alive and lifeless at the same time. Isn’t it marvelous?
This thought experiment is a praise to your existence, both real and imaginative, and it shows how scientific theory works for us humans. We like to ponder these concepts to explain the world around us because we’re very curious, just like you. We want to give ourselves a tough time too. Not sure if you’re as curious about us as we are about you, doing these experiments (only in our minds!), but if you ever put a human in a box with some poison (you probably are experts in poison by now), just know they can be both alive (and angry) or forever silent and out of your way, amen.