Scum

[Mich the Tester]

I can see where you are coming from, but where are you going with this?

Well you can´t know where I´m going if you know where I´m coming from according to Heisenberg, so you have to start by forgetting where I´m coming from and then you can figure out where I´m going.

Something like that.

Whatever happened to Schrödinger´s cat? Did it get out alive?

[BrowneIssue]

Whatever happened to Schrödinger´s cat? Did it get out alive?

I'll open the lid and have a look...

[d000hg]

I'll open the lid and have a look...

No, you'll ruin it for everyone!

[snaw]

No, you'll ruin it for everyone!

What about if we just kick the box a couple of times and listen for miaows ...

[Board Game Geek]

Wouldn't "listening for miaows" still be a form of observation, albeit an aural one, and therefore subject to changing the outcome of the experiment ?

[Mich the Tester]

Wouldn't "listening for miaows" still be a form of observation, albeit an aural one, and therefore subject to changing the outcome of the experiment ?

Erm, good question. Yes, because only if the box isn't soundproofed can you hear the cat miaowing. Of course, cats have much better hearing than humans, so the cat would know that you're nearby just by hearing the slightest rub of your clothing, even if you stand very still. If the box isn't pongproofed then he'll smell you too. That means your presence close to the box might well affect the cat's behaviour.

If, however, the box is soundproof and pongproof as well as not being translucent, there's no way of knowing whether the cat is alive, so you can't really affect the experiment but also can't observe.