History of Computers - Schrodinger's Cat

Schrödinger’s Cat was an experiment performed by Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger (12 August 1887–4 January 1961) to prove the quantum principle of superposition. The experiment is also sometimes referred to as a paradox.

Overview

In the experiment, Schrodinger put a cat in a box with a vial of hydrocyanic acid, a radioactive substance. If the substance randomly decayed one atom, a hammer would fall and hit the vial thus releasing the substance and killing the cat. However, no one can see if the cat is alive or dead because you can’t see through the box. This brings up the question whether the cat is dead or alive. Schrödinger resulted that the cat was both dead and alive giving it superposition. Superposition essentially states that an object is superimposed so it creates a new state where both states exist at the same time. Because the decay of hydrocyanic acid is random, one cannot determine the result that will occur and so, superposition is lost when the box is opened, and the observer looks in to find the results. In essence, the cat is neither dead nor alive prior to the box being opened.

Significances

This is idea is used a lot in today's venture into quantum computing. Schrodinger’s cat is a main part of qubit research. A qubit is a system which can be asked many, many different questions, but to each question, only one of two answers can be given. If quantum computing becomes a reality, it can change the tech world as we know by making computers run faster and harder while using less energy.

References

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/quantum-computing.html

http://arstechnica.com/science/2010/01/a-tale-of-two-qubits-how-quantum-computers-work/

http://www.iflscience.com/physics/schrödinger’s-cat-explained/