The purpose of Schrödinger’s thought experiment was a. to study radioactive substances b. to demonstrate the durability of cats c. to show the flaws in a scientific theory
In the experiment, the poison would be activated by a. the movements of the cat b. the locking of the box c. the decaying of the substance
According to the theory, the experiment would cause a. the cat to die several times until someone opened the box b. the cat to stay alive until someone opened the box c. the cat to be both alive and dead until someone opened the box
Discussion/essay questions
Why do you think it is so easy to be misinformed about science? Do you think there is a solution to this?
Do you think it is important for the general population to be educated about scientific topics? Why or why not?
Transcript
“Schrödinger’s cat” is a thought experiment created by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger. The purpose of the experiment was to show the flaws in a scientific theory suggesting that particles can only definitively change if someone is observing them. In Schrödinger’s example, a cat is locked in a box with a radioactive substance and a container of poison. If the substance decays, it activates the poison and kills the cat. Schrödinger argued that if the decaying of the substance could not happen until someone observed it, then the cat would be both alive and dead until someone opened the box. Although Schrödinger’s goal was to show how strange this idea was, many people misinterpreted him. This misunderstanding has caused some people to believe that it is possible for a cat to be both alive and dead.
In 1998, the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska held a mayoral election. But the residents quickly became when no one stepped up for the job. Instead of electing a candidate, the town voted a cat into office. The cat’s name was Stubbs, and he served as mayor for 19 years. His office was a general store in the centre of the town. During Stubbs’s term, Talkeetna became a tourist destination in Alaska. Visitors would come to take or have meetings with the mayor. After Stubbs’s death in 2017, the residents of Talkeetna continued the tradition and elected a kitten named Denali to fill the role.
Comprehension questions
[wp_quiz id=”20578″]
Discussion/essay questions
Do you participate in local elections in your town?
Transcript
In 1998, the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska held a mayoral election. But the residents quickly became frustrated when no one stepped up for the job. Instead of electing a human candidate, the town voted a cat into office. The cat’s name was Stubbs, and he served as mayor for 19 years. His office was a general store in the centre of the town. During Stubbs’s term, Talkeetna became a popular tourist destination in Alaska. Visitors would come to take photos or have meetings with the mayor. After Stubbs’s death in 2017, the residents of Talkeetna continued the tradition and elected a kitten named Denali to fill the role.
In 1975, a physics professor named Jack H. Hetherington wrote a paper about atomic behaviour. He was planning to submit this paper to a well-known scientific journal called the Physical Review Letters. However, when he was proofreading his work, he realized that he had unintentionally used the word “we” when writing about himself. Although this was a small , it was very problematic. The Physical Review Letters had a rule against the use of the word “we” unless the paper had multiple authors. Hetherington had written his entire paper on a typewriter, and he didn’t want to retype it all just to fix his error. Instead, he simply to credit another author. The author he chose was his cat, Chester. He changed Chester’s name to Felis Domesticus Chester Willard, shortened to F. D. C. Willard, to make it more . Hetherington’s plan worked, and his paper was published. Eventually, he admitted that the co-author was a cat, and even had Chester copies of the paper by making ink paw prints.
Comprehension questions
[wp_quiz id=”19503″]
Discussion/essay questions
Hetherington’s paper is now well-known, and has been quoted by many other researchers. Do you think that his paper would have been as successful if he hadn’t had a funny story to go with it?
Transcript
In 1975, a physics professor named Jack H. Hetherington wrote a research paper about atomic behaviour. He was planning to submit this paper to a well-known scientific journal called the Physical Review Letters. However, when he was proofreading his work, he realized that he had unintentionally used the word “we” when writing about himself. Although this was a small mistake, it was very problematic. The Physical Review Lettershad a rule against the use of the word “we” unless the paper had multiple authors. Hetherington had written his entire paper on a typewriter, and he didn’t want to retype it all just to fix his error. Instead, he simply decided to credit another author. The author he chose was his cat, Chester. He changed Chester’s name to Felis Domesticus Chester Willard, shortened to F. D. C. Willard, to make it more believable. Hetherington’s plan worked, and his paper was published. Eventually, he admitted that the co-author was a cat, and even had Chester sign copies of the paper by making ink paw prints.
