New Quantum Weirdness: Balls That Don't Roll Off Cliffs

Sciam used to be a pretty good science magazine, but after reading this article I can't help but think it was written for 5th-graders. Argh!!!!

I am in complete agreement. And what is this all about "cats can be both alive and dead at the same time" ?

Google "Schrodinger's cat." Also google "Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle."

And what is this all about "cats can be both alive and dead at the same time" ?

I disagree with the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (I prefer the Many-Worlds version), but here is a Wikipedia's description of the so-called paradox of Schrödinger's cat:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%B6dinger%27s_cat

Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment, often described as a paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. It illustrates what he saw as the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics being applied to everyday objects. The thought experiment presents a cat that might be alive or dead, depending on an earlier random event. In the course of developing this experiment, he coined the term Verschränkung (entanglement).

Schrödinger's Cat: A cat, along with a flask containing a poison, is placed in a sealed box shielded against environmentally induced quantum decoherence. If a Geiger counter detects radiation then the flask is shattered, releasing the poison which kills the cat. Quantum mechanics suggests that after a while the cat is simultaneously alive and dead. Yet, when we look in the box, we see the cat either alive or dead, not a mixture of alive and dead.

Scientific American used to be a decent source for popular science. In recent years, it's gotten too much popular and not enough science. I normally get a subscription to SciAm for Christmas, but I told my wife a couple weeks ago not to renew.

Schrödinger didn't intend, I think, for anybody to take seriously his cat paradox. He was just being "over the top" for effect, sort of a Benny Hill of science. I can't imagine that anyone could, in the foreseeable future, write a wave function for a snippet of DNA, let alone a whole damn cat!

But, this is the sort of thing the general public latch onto and then form ideas about QM that have little basis in reality. I've actually heard a post-secondary instructor talk about how it's remotely possible that you could push your hand through a wall, based on Heisenberg's uncertainity.

And, so we get a population that believes in time travel but not in entropy. Double yoi!

I have before me the January, 1986 issue of Scientific American (cover price: $2.50). It is my favorite issue and discusses time-reversed light -- optical phase conjugation -- without actually managing to insult my intelligence in the process. Other articles in this issue:

Space Science, Space Technology and the Space Station, by James A. Van Allen (James Van Allen!!!) -- The author argues that a manned space station will hurt the space-research program. (I agree. The ISS continues to siphon valuable funds away from other, far more science-worthy projects lacking only the ISS' dubious PR value.)

Growth, Differentiation and the Reversal of Malignancy, by Leo Sachs -- Proteins have been isolated that induce differentiation, halting some cancer cells' growth.

The Structure of Comet Tails, by John C. Brandt and Malcolm B. Niedner, Jr. -- Observations of Halley should illuminate the interrelations of the plasma tail and the solar wind.

Applications of Optical Phase Conjugation, by David M. Pepper (Cover Story) -- "Time-reversed" light waves can be manipulated to probe the structure of atoms or track a satellite.

Mineral Deposits from Sea-Floor Hot Springs, by Peter A. Rona -- Ores are formed when seawater heated by the earth's mantle percolates through broken crustal rock.

The Chemical Defenses of Higher Plants, by Gerald A. Rosenthal -- Some compounds poison or repel herbivores; others mimic insect hormones, interfering with growth.

Radiocarbon Dating by Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy, by Robert E. M. Hedges and John A. J. Gowlett -- A new technique makes dating far smaller samples possible.

Kin Recognition in Tadpoles, by Andrew R. Blaustein and Richard K. O'Hara -- The ability of Cascades frog tadpoles to recognize siblings they have never known may be genetic.

Sciam's president and editor in 1986 was Jonathan Piel.

Sciam's chairman in 1986 was Gerard Piel.

What happened? Did the bean counters conclude this stuff is too heady for the American reading public? Even sadder than Sciam's intellectual demise may be that such material is now beyond the reach of the majority of Americans, based on flagging sales to a largely uncomprehending public.

Solution? "Dumb-down" the rag and make it useless to everyone.

<"....causing radioactive alpha decay....">

Sciam Intelligence decay, it seems.

The usual popup windows on every Sciam webpage well-stopped by Firefox Browser, thanks Mozilla Foundation.

40 years ago, Scientific American was a well-ordered magazine, I used to wait for each month's copy arrival in the letterbox, but ceased my subscription many years ago.

Kind Regards....

Don't open the box on quantum mechanics the wave function will collapse and the cat will get out.

I will just add my here here to the demise of a great magazine, I used to love the the short article entitled connections at the back of the magazine, and considered scientific American and indisputable source of information. When the heavy advertising started the magazine started going downhill, I haven't looked recently but I'm sure you can find an HHO listed for sale someplace in recent issues.

On the lighter side has anybody been to the Inn in Germany that has a sign that says Heisenberg may have slept here.