Dark Matter Episode 1

Dark Matter Episode 1 - Dark Matter 1x01 - Clip - Schrôdinger's Cat Explanation

Transcript

00:00What's that supposed to be?

00:03Well...

00:05A cat.

00:07We have a cat.

00:09In a sealed box.

00:11And also in the box we have...

00:13A vial of poison.

00:16A single radioactive atom. Oh, and...

00:19A Geiger counter.

00:22Now, if there is no atomic decay, a cat lives.

00:26But, if the atom does decay, then...

00:29The Geiger counter will detect radiation...

00:32Which will set off a charge...

00:34Which will break the vial...

00:36And...

00:37Poor cat dies.

00:40Oh, he's right. Oh, he's right.

00:42Now, the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics...

00:45Suggests something...

00:47Crazy.

00:48Before we look inside...

00:50The atom...

00:52Exists in a superposition.

00:54Which is a fancy way of saying...

00:56That it is...

00:58In an undetermined state...

01:00Of both decaying...

01:02And not decaying.

01:04Which means what?

01:06This guy had a thing for torturing cats.

01:09Thanks, Riley. No.

01:11Schrödinger...

01:13Was his name.

01:14And he had a thing for understanding the universe.

01:24The answer, for anybody who cares to know...

01:26Is that the atom in superposition...

01:28Means that the cat is both alive...

01:31And it is dead.

01:54Thanks for watching!