From: Michael Lorrey (retroman@tpk.net)
Date: Sun Nov 24 1996 - 23:25:35 MST
I got this off the weird science mail list. I thought you guys micht
like to pick it apart:
> A fun project is the Schrodinger's Cat Box. You need a mild source of
> radioactivity (I use scrapings from old "luminous" watches I get at flea
> markets). I make a box out of plywood except that two sides are small
> celled Nomex honeycomb (<.125") cut to three inch thickness. One honeycomb
> side is covered with onion skin paper and the other is left open. A strong
> light is positioned outside the open celled honeycomb wall and is directed
> into the box. The radioactive scrapings are smeared across the light lens
> with a bit of glue. Inside the box I put the sensor to a Geiger counter
> (borrow one from your local high school). The counter is connected to a fast
> relay which, when closed by an alpha particle from the scrapings, lights the
> light. Now, a small, live animal (cat ) is placed into the box. One stands
> behind the onion skin paper side of the box and plugs in the Geiger Counter.
> With no light the alpha particles are few and are not sufficient to turn on
> the light. The light is switched the first time with a switch which is in
> parallel with the relay. Instantly you can see the shadow of the animal on
> the onion skin paper. Then, as the cat moves, the light and rush of alpha
> particles turn the light on and off, strobe like, and you can see that
> sometimes the animal is not there, or some part of him is gone! Its quantum
> uncertainty can be measured. It proves that there are two states for the
> animal (and everything else) --existence and non-existence. No harm comes
> to the animal, by the way.
>
>
-- TANSTAAFL!!! Michael Lorrey --------------------------------------------------- President retroman@tpk.net Northstar Technologies Agent Lorrey@ThePentagon.com Inventor of the Lorrey Drive Silo_1013@ThePentagon.com --------------------------------------------------- Anything I say can and should be used against me.
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