Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site looking.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!looking!brad From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton) Newsgroups: net.physics Subject: Quantum superposition of states and reality Message-ID: <191@looking.UUCP> Date: Sat, 6-Oct-84 00:00:00 EDT Article-I.D.: looking.191 Posted: Sat Oct 6 00:00:00 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 7-Oct-84 02:39:15 EDT References: <12630@sri-arpa.UUCP> Organization: Looking Glass Software, Waterloo, Ont Lines: 18 I was wondering if anybody could enlighten me a bit more on the concept of superposition of states, particularly as it relates to the famous gedankenexperiment of Schroedinger's Cat. I have heard it claimed that the superposition of states (ie. 50% live cat vs. 50% poisoned cat) actually has physical reality, and in particular that there is experimental evidence to show it (although not with the cat, of course) Obviously the metaphysical implications of these theories are remarkable. I've accepted for some time the notion of considering subatomic wavicles like electrons as infinite fourier series of discrete states when they are contained, but I've never been sure whether this was just a useful mathematical idea or an actual representation of reality. Does anybody know of some results or have further comments? -- Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473