This unfortunate animal is repeatedly stuffed in a box and poisoned, all in the name of science. Cruel “thought experiments” like this might have some point if they advanced the public’s understanding of quantum mechanics, but it seems the poor creature is suffering in vain.
Here’s a shocking example of the cat’s mistreatment from Whatis.com.
First, we have a living cat and place it in a thick lead box. At this stage, there is no question that the cat is alive. We then throw in a vial of cyanide and seal the box. We do not know if the cat is alive or if it has broken the cyanide capsule and died. Since we do not know, the cat is both dead and alive, according to quantum law, in a superposition of states. It is only when we break open the box and learn the condition of the cat that the superposition is lost, and the cat becomes one or the other (dead or alive).Ghastly!
