CalixtaPadilla

9thGradePhysics
Ms.Quinny
December11,2014
CatParadox
ErwinSchrodingerisanoldermanfromAustria,whonotmanypeopleknow.Hewearsa
dark,browncombover,fisheyeglasses,andmostlikelyalwayshasabrightcolgatesmilesprung
acrosshisface.Erwinhasalwayshadaheartforphysics,andattheageof18,heacquireda
masteryofeigenvalueproblemsinthephysicsofcontinuousmedialayingthefoundationforhis
futuregreatwork.
1933wastheyearErwinSchrodingermadehisdecisiontoleaveAustria,andmoveto
Berlin,Germanywithhisbestcolleague,WolfgangPauli.AtthetimeJewswerebeing
persecuted.EventhoughSchrodingerhimselfwasn'tJewish,hecouldnolongerliveinacountry
wherepeoplewerebeingtorturedandmistreatedfortheirreligion.
Afteryearsofchemistrystudies,SchrodingerdevotedhimselftoItalianpainting.Later
onintheyear,herealizedpaintingwasn'thismainskill,sohedecidedtoquit.In1934,
SchrodingerwasinvitedtoteachatPrincetonUniversity,buthedeclinedtheoffer.After
decliningPrinceton,Schrodingerhadnothingelsetodoinlife.
Inthatsameday,withnotknowingwhattheroadaheadofhimoffered,hewalkedback
tohisloft,tobehitwithasurprise.WhenErwinopenedthedoortohisloft,henoticedbehind
thedoorwasanorangestripedcattearinguphisfurniturelikeawildanimal.Eliotwasthecats
nameafeisty,evilcatwhohatedeveryoneandeverything.Erwinonceagain,hadnoideawhat

todo,sohedecidedtolockthecatintothecage.Aweeklater,henoticedthebeastashe
wouldcallit,suffering,yetstillalive.Erwinmissedphysicssomuchhehadtheideaofquantum
superposition.Hethoughtaboutputtinghiscat,Eliot,intoasealedbox.Untiltheboxisopened,
thestateofthecatisunknowntherefore,thecatisconsideredbothaliveanddeaduntil
checked.In1935ErwindecidedtogothroughwithhisplantoputEliotintothesealedbox.In
orderforhistheorytowork,hedhavetomaketheaudiencethink.Hethoughtaboutleaving
Eliotbyhimselfinthesteelbox,butthenquicklyrealizeditdoesntproveanything
scientifically.
Whynotkilltwobirdswithonestone?thoughtErwin.
IfIplaceEliotintotheboxalongwithaGeigercounter,avialofpoison,ahammer,and
aradioactivesubstance,thensomethingisboundtohappenandprovemytheory.
Whentheradioactivesubstancedecays,theGeigerdetectsitandtriggersthehammertorelease
thepoison,whichsubsequentlykillsthecat.Untiltheboxisopened,anobserverdoesntknow
whetherthecatisaliveordead,becausethecatsfateinintricatelytiedtoweatherornotthe
atomdecays.Theradioactivesubstancecandecayatanyrandomtime,leavingnowaytopredict
whenitwillhappen.
Erwinwassoexcitedtogethisheartbackintosomethinghedesired.Hegathereda
groupofobserverstoobservehisexperiment.TheaudiencesattherefordaysthinkingifEliot
wasstillaliveorbasicallydead.Andstill,nobodycouldtellsincetheboxwassealed.
Schrodingerdevelopedthisparadoxtoillustrateapointinquantummechanicsaboutthe
natureofwavearticles.WhileErwinstheorywasinplace,heendedupcreatingaformula.

Schrodingersequationisapartialdifferentialequationthatdescribeshowthequantumstateofa
physicalsystemchangeswithtime.
WeeksafterErwinputhiscatintothesteelbox,stillnobodyhasdecidedtocheckthe
stateEliotwasin.Sincethecontainerwasmadeofsteel,youwerentabletoseethrough,or
evensmellwhatwasgoingoninside.Anoutcomedoesntexistuntilthemeasurementismade.
Soafter2months,anobserverdecidedtoopenthebox.Sheslowlycrackedthedooropentosee
howEliotwasdoing.OnceshelookedinsideshesawEliotonthegroundbleedinginternally.
Unfortunately,thehammerreleasedthepoisonwhensheopenedthedoor.Shestartedtocry
becauseshethenrealized,curiositykilledthecat.