Schrödinger's cat thought experiment

E244413

paradox quantum mechanics thought experiment thought experiment

Schrödinger's cat thought experiment is a famous quantum mechanics paradox that illustrates the problem of applying quantum superposition to everyday objects by imagining a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead until observed.

Try in SPARQL Jump to: Surface forms Disambiguation Statements Elicitation Referenced by

All labels observed (6)

Label	Occurrences
Schrödinger's cat thought experiment canonical	2
Schroedinger's cat thought experiment	1
Schrödinger's cat	1
Schrödinger's cat paradox	1
Schrödinger’s cat	1
Schrödinger’s cat thought experiment	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T2176946 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Schrödinger's cat thought experiment
Context triple: [Erwin Schrödinger, knownFor, Schrödinger's cat thought experiment]

A. Maxwell's demon thought experiment
Maxwell's demon thought experiment is a famous conceptual scenario in thermodynamics that imagines an intelligent being seemingly violating the second law by sorting fast and slow gas molecules without expending energy.
B. Wigner’s friend thought experiment
Wigner’s friend thought experiment is a foundational quantum mechanics scenario that explores the role of observers and consciousness in measurement by considering how different observers can assign conflicting quantum states to the same system.
C. Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics
The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics is a foundational philosophical framework that emphasizes probabilistic wavefunctions, measurement-induced collapse, and the central role of observation in determining physical reality.
D. Bohr–Einstein debates
The Bohr–Einstein debates were a series of famous early 20th-century discussions between Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein about the foundations and interpretation of quantum mechanics, particularly concerning determinism, realism, and the completeness of the theory.
E. Laplace’s demon
Laplace’s demon is a hypothetical intellect in classical determinism that, knowing all forces and positions of particles at one time, could predict the entire future and reconstruct the entire past of the universe.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Schrödinger's cat thought experiment
Target entity description: Schrödinger's cat thought experiment is a famous quantum mechanics paradox that illustrates the problem of applying quantum superposition to everyday objects by imagining a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead until observed.

A. Maxwell's demon thought experiment
Maxwell's demon thought experiment is a famous conceptual scenario in thermodynamics that imagines an intelligent being seemingly violating the second law by sorting fast and slow gas molecules without expending energy.
B. Wigner’s friend thought experiment
Wigner’s friend thought experiment is a foundational quantum mechanics scenario that explores the role of observers and consciousness in measurement by considering how different observers can assign conflicting quantum states to the same system.
C. Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics
The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics is a foundational philosophical framework that emphasizes probabilistic wavefunctions, measurement-induced collapse, and the central role of observation in determining physical reality.
D. Bohr–Einstein debates
The Bohr–Einstein debates were a series of famous early 20th-century discussions between Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein about the foundations and interpretation of quantum mechanics, particularly concerning determinism, realism, and the completeness of the theory.
E. Laplace’s demon
Laplace’s demon is a hypothetical intellect in classical determinism that, knowing all forces and positions of particles at one time, could predict the entire future and reconstruct the entire past of the universe.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (48)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	paradox ⓘ quantum mechanics thought experiment ⓘ thought experiment ⓘ
addressesProblem	boundary between quantum and classical worlds ⓘ how and when quantum superposition ends ⓘ
countryOfOrigin	Austria ⓘ
creator	Erwin Schrödinger ⓘ
criticizes	naive application of the Copenhagen interpretation to macroscopic objects ⓘ
culturalImpact	became a popular symbol of quantum weirdness in popular culture ⓘ inspired numerous references in literature, film, and television ⓘ
field	quantum mechanics ⓘ
hasAlternativeName	Schroedinger's cat thought experiment ⓘ linked to: Schrödinger's cat thought experiment Schrödinger's cat paradox ⓘ linked to: Schrödinger's cat thought experiment
hasComponent	Geiger counter ⓘ linked to: Geiger–Müller tube cat ⓘ hammer mechanism ⓘ radioactive atom ⓘ sealed box ⓘ vial of poison ⓘ
hasInterpretation	in decoherence approaches macroscopic superpositions rapidly lose coherence ⓘ in the Copenhagen interpretation the wave function collapses upon observation ⓘ in the many-worlds interpretation the cat is alive in one branch and dead in another ⓘ
illustratesConcept	entanglement between microscopic and macroscopic systems ⓘ macroscopic superposition ⓘ measurement problem in quantum mechanics ⓘ observer effect ⓘ quantum superposition ⓘ wave function collapse ⓘ
initialCondition	cat is placed in a sealed box with a lethal device triggered by atomic decay ⓘ radioactive atom has a 50 percent chance to decay in a given time ⓘ
keyClaim	before observation the cat is in a superposition of alive and dead states ⓘ observation forces the system into a definite state ⓘ
language	originally formulated in German ⓘ
namedAfter	Erwin Schrödinger ⓘ
notableFor	highlighting the counterintuitive implications of quantum theory ⓘ raising philosophical questions about reality and observation ⓘ
originalPublication	Die gegenwärtige Situation in der Quantenmechanik ⓘ
originalPublicationType	scientific paper ⓘ
originalPublicationYear	1935 ⓘ
publicationYear	1935 ⓘ
purpose	criticize the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics ⓘ illustrate the problem of applying quantum superposition to macroscopic objects ⓘ
relatedTo	EPR paradox ⓘ linked to: Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen paradox Wigner's friend thought experiment ⓘ linked to: Wigner’s friend thought experiment decoherence theory ⓘ many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics ⓘ quantum measurement theory ⓘ
usedAs	pedagogical tool in teaching quantum mechanics ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (7)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Erwin Schrödinger → knownFor → Schrödinger's cat thought experiment ⓘ

Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics → relatedConcept → Schrödinger's cat thought experiment ⓘ

Wigner’s friend thought experiment → relatedTo → Schrödinger’s cat ⓘ