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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). It was not long before science-fiction writers picked up this evocative concept, often using it in a humorous vein. 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.
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" (''
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). It was not long before science-fiction writers picked up this evocative concept, often using it in a humorous vein. 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.
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
Analog or analogue may refer to:
Computing and electronics
* Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable
** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals
*** Analog electronics, circuits which use analo ...
'', 29 March 1982), George Alec Effinger
George Alec Effinger (January 10, 1947 – April 27, 2002) was an American list of science fiction authors, science fiction author, born in Cleveland, Ohio.
Writing career
Effinger was a part of the Clarion Workshop, Clarion class of 1970 an ...
's "Schrödinger's Kitten
"Schrödinger's Kitten" is a 1988 novelette by American writer George Alec Effinger, which won both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award, as well as the Japanese Seiun Award.
The story utilizes a form of the many-worlds hypothesis, and is named aft ...
" ('' Omni'', September 1988), Ursula Le Guin's "Schrödinger's Cat" (in the 1974 anthology ''Universe 5
''Universe 5'' is an anthology of original science fiction short stories edited by Terry Carr, the fifth volume in the seventeen-volume Universe anthology series. It was first published in hardcover by Random House in November 1974, with a Science ...
''), F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre
Fergus (also Feargus) Gwynplaine MacIntyre (1948 – 25 June 2010),
'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
The ''Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy'' is a trilogy of novels by American writer Robert Anton Wilson consisting of ''The Universe Next Door'' (1979), ''The Trick Top Hat'' (1980), and ''The Homing Pigeons'' (1981), each illustrating a different inte ...
'' (1988), illustrating various interpretations of quantum physics. In addition to novels and short stories, Schrödinger's cat has appeared in film, poetry theatre, live-action television, cartoons, music, and webcomics.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schrodinger's Cat In Popular Culture Popular culture Physics in fiction Science fiction themes Science in popular culture