Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/04/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]nice thanks simon - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Chefurka" <paul@chefurka.com> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2003 3:46 PM Subject: Re: [Leica] Uncertainty Principle > On Wed, 16 Apr 2003 18:58:22 -0700, Jerry Lehrer <jerryleh@pacbell.net> > wrote: > > >Ed > > > >I would say that the question of Schroedingers Cat applies > >more to the problem at hand. It is easily solve by applying > >the principal of Occams Razor. > > Schroedinger, Erwin! Professor of physics! > Wrote daring equations! Confounded his critics! > (Not bad, eh? Don't worry. This part of the verse > Starts off pretty good, but it gets a lot worse.) > Win saw that the theory that Newton'd invented > By Einstein's discov'ries had been badly dented. > What now? wailed his colleagues. Said Erwin, "Don't panic, > No grease monkey I, but a quantum mechanic. > Consider electrons. Now, these teeny articles > Are sometimes like waves, and then sometimes like particles. > If that's not confusing, the nuclear dance > Of electrons and suchlike is governed by chance! > No sweat, though--my theory permits us to judge > Where some of 'em is and the rest of 'em was." > Not everyone bought this. It threatened to wreck > The comforting linkage of cause and effect. > E'en Einstein had doubts, and so Schroedinger tried > To tell him what quantum mechanics implied. > Said Win to Al, "Brother, suppose we've a cat, > And inside a tube we have put that cat at-- > Along with a solitaire deck and some Fritos, > A bottle of Night Train, a couple mosquitoes > (Or something else rhyming) and, oh, if you got 'em, > One vial prussic acid, one decaying ottom > Or atom--whatever--but when it emits, > A trigger device blasts the vial into bits > Which snuffs our poor kitty. The odds of this crime > Are 50 to 50 per hour each time. > The cylinder's sealed. The hour's passed away. Is > Our pussy still purring--or pushing up daisies? > Now, you'd say the cat either lives or it don't > But quantum mechanics is stubborn and won't. > Statistically speaking, the cat (goes the joke), > Is half a cat breathing and half a cat croaked. > To some this may seem a ridiculous split, > But quantum mechanics must answer, "Tough @#&! > We may not know much, but one thing's fo' sho': > There's things in the cosmos that we cannot know. > Shine light on electrons--you'll cause them to swerve. > The act of observing disturbs the observed-- > Which ruins your test. But then if there's no testing > To see if a particle's moving or resting > Why try to conjecture? Pure useless endeavor! > We know probability--certainty, never.' > The effect of this notion? I very much fear > 'Twill make doubtful all things that were formerly clear. > Till soon the cat doctors will say in reports, > "We've just flipped a coin and we've learned he's a corpse."' > So saith Herr Erwin. Quoth Albert, "You're nuts. > God doesn't play dice with the universe, putz. > I'll prove it!" he said, and the Lord knows he tried-- > In vain--until fin'ly he more or less died. > Win spoke at the funeral: "Listen, dear friends, > Sweet Al was my buddy. I must make amends. > Though he doubted my theory, I'll say of this saint: > Ten-to-one he's in heaven--but five bucks says he ain't." > > by -CECIL ADAMS > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html