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About
Schrodinger’s cat is a thought experiment proposed by Edwin Schrodinger in the 1930’s as an example of Copenhagen’s interpretation of quantum mechanics. It is used in memes, mainly in the science areas, education, and LOLcats (Although not limited to these areas) usually playing on the idea of a cat that is either dead or alive, or something being neither being X or X in general. In image macros involving such a meme, a cat may be in a box or some other confinement, sometimes it is just a standalone box, or sometimes it is something similar to the thought proposed.
Origin
In 1935, Edwin Schrodinger proposed the thought experiment in response for discussion to the EPR article, an article on the nature of quantum entanglement. He explained to imagine a cat in a steel container along with, “in a Geiger counter, there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small that perhaps in the course of the hour, one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges, and through a relay releases a hammer that shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid” (Wikipedia.org) and that without lifting the lid, the cat could be considered living or dead, thus a paradox. One could not determine the exact answer until the lid is lifted.
Spread
While Schrodinger’s Cat has appeared in many areas of pop culture such as TV, music and books since it was proposed, the paradox cat has been also noted in many online web comics such as one of the earliest strips from xkcd entitled “Schrodinger,” a Cyanide and Happiness strip during their “90% of the General Public Won’t Understand Week”, and reference in MS Paint Adventure. This thought experiment has also appeared in various video games, notably in Portal 2, being referenced by GLaDOS and even in an achievement “Schrodinger’s Catch.”
Spread of this in the meme sense (image macros, etc) is unknown and it is requested that anyone with an idea of when it first appeared in areas such as memebase are encouraged to contribute it
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