Skip to main content

Schrödinger's cat: A thought experiment in quantum mechanics - Chad Orzel

8,216,879 Views

6,397 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, posed this famous question: If you put a cat in a sealed box with a device that has a 50% chance of killing the cat in the next hour, what will be the state of the cat when that time is up? Chad Orzel investigates this thought experiment.

We see wave behavior in electrons but not in cats because:

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Chad Orzel
  • Director Agota Vegso
  • Narrator Addison Anderson

More from Before and After Einstein