On 9/16/2011 3:07 PM, Darren New wrote:
> On 9/16/2011 14:11, Warp wrote:
>> Now, how does the football (or atom, or particle) "know" that what those
>> emitted particles hit is not "measurement"?
>
> Well, that is indeed the fundamental problem exposed by Schrodinger's cat.
>
>> measurement device that can tell the difference?
>
> It doesn't matter if it hits a measuring device. It only matters if you
> look at the measurement.
>
No, no, no.

Observer in the case of quantum mechanics is not a "person" looking at 
the thing, its "any object/particle that interacts, to take a 
measurement." Whether or not something living looks at the result is 
*not* what produces the effect. Geeze, if that interpretation where 
true, then quantum effects would never have happened *at all* for 
billions of years prior to the formation of life. *Any* interaction 
"measures" the state of the particle *period*. Schrodinger's cat is just 
a goofy anthropomorphizing of the process, which a lot of people, 
including apparently people on here, get wrong, because people see 
"observer" and assume that has to be "person", or something that 
otherwise thinks. That is just plain wrong.

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