Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
Schrödinger's cat en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˌʃɹoʊdɪŋɚz ˈkæt/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌʃɹəʊdɪŋəz ˈkæt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Named after Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961).
Meanings
-
A hypothetical cat that is depicted as being surrounded by perfectly uncertain circumstances that make an external observer absolutely unable to deem the cat either alive or dead, especially if the possibilities of survival of the cat are expected to be analysed from the point of view of quantum mechanics. Typically, these circumstances involve the cat being inside a box while being the victim of a danger that may or may not kill it, such as radiation.
A cat like yours is a Schrödinger's cat, sealed up in an office where someone's disintegration provides a 50-50 chance of its death.
2000, Thalia Field, Point and line, New Directions Publishing, →ISBN, page 8:
-
(broadly) Any hypothetical situation whose circumstances make it impossible to see which among two contrary propositions is correct, especially if the situation is expected to be analysed from the point of view of quantum mechanics.
To see how, let us consider a nested system of Schrödinger's cats.
2004, Colin Bruce, Schrödinger's Rabbits: The Many Worlds of Quantum, page 83:
Forms
Deriveds
Schrödinger's kitten · Schrödinger's douchebag
Schrödinger's cat en · PROPN
Pronunciation
- /ˌʃɹoʊdɪŋɚz ˈkæt/ (General-American)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌʃɹəʊdɪŋəz ˈkæt/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
Named after Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger (1887–1961).
Meanings
-
The thought experiment which was devised by Erwin Schrödinger, is usually considered a paradox, involves a Schrödinger's cat and is typically supposed to be analysed from the point of view of quantum mechanics.
-
A Schrödinger's cat (a hypothetical cat that may or may not be dead) in particular, especially when implied to be the only Schrödinger's cat in the world.
And you thought Schrödinger's cat was schizophrenic, unsure about life and death.
2009, João Magueijo, A brilliant darkness, Basic Books, →ISBN, page 179:Let us return to the laboratory, where Bob is about to lift the tarp off of the transparent box containing Schrödinger's cat.
2010, Rodrigo Enrico, The Physics of Stargates, Eridanus Press, →ISBN, page 80:Schrödinger's cat is necessarily alive or dead.
2005, Jürgen Pafel, Quantifier scope in German, illustrated edition, John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 21:
Forms
Translations (33)
eu Schrodingeren katu (thought experiment) · no Schrödingers katt (thought experiment) · fr chat de Schrödinger (thought experiment) · fa گربه شرودینگر (thought experiment) · is Schrödingers kötturinn (thought experiment) · ro pisica lui Schrödinger (thought experiment) · cmn 薛定諤貓 /薛定谔猫 (thought experiment) · ja シュレーディンガーの猫 (thought experiment) · sv Schrödingers katt (thought experiment) · pt gato de Schrödinger (thought experiment) · ca gat de Schrödinger (thought experiment) · bg ко́тка на Шрьо́дингер (thought experiment) · pl kot Schrödingera (thought experiment) · ka შრედინგერის კატა (thought experiment) · de Schrödingers Katze (thought experiment) · he החתול של שרדינגר (thought experiment) · vi con mèo của Schrödinger (thought experiment) · it paradosso del gatto di Schrödinger (thought experiment) · ar قِطَّة شْرُودِنْغِر (thought experiment) · hu Schrödinger macskája (thought experiment) · cs Schrödingerova kočka (thought experiment) · fi Schrödingerin kissa (thought experiment) · nl Schrödingers kat (thought experiment) · cmn 薛丁格的貓 /薛丁格的猫 (thought experiment) · gl gato de Schrödinger (thought experiment) · tl pusa ni Schrödinger (thought experiment) · eo Kato de Schrödinger (thought experiment) · es gato de Schrödinger (thought experiment) · da Schrödingers kat (thought experiment) · ko 슈뢰딩거의 고양이 (thought experiment) · ru кот Шрёдингера (thought experiment) · cmn 薛定諤的貓 /薛定谔的猫 (thought experiment) · sl Schrödingerjeva mačka (thought experiment)