[Chris]

Physicists.

[Owyn]

These theories are all crazy, everyone knows our universe is merely an atom-like part of a golfing course in another greater universe. Therefore at any instance the golf ball could land on our blade of grass, and our entire universe would be destoyed(or everyone alive in it). To add to the infinite amount of ways our atom of grass could be horribly mangled, that universe in which that atom exists is itself merely an atom-like structure in even another universes.

And it works in reverse, every atom in our universe is in itself an entirely new universe, and so on and so forth. So when it comes down to it, we could all be obliterated at any instance in time, however on the brigth side if we do, well take down infinite life forms with us

[SimeSublime]

How is an ultraverse any different to a multiverse?

[Emu]

what about a super-ultra-multiverse?

If you died and then switched into a universe wherein at the very last second, some freakish incident of chance occured so that your life was saved....well, if there's an infinite number of things that could have happened to saved your life, and they each actually happen in a different universe, then what determines which universe your consciousness goes into? Would you wind up in one randomly, or would you wind up in the one that is more likely to occur than the others based on probability, or would you switch into all of those universes at once and get really really confused?

[Eggie]

On a vaguely related note, wasn't 'The One' just one of the most awful movies ever made...ever!

[SimeSublime]

I didn't mind it. The key is not to take it seriously, and you'll be allright. Interestingly, it was supposed to star The Rock, but he was making The Scorpion King at the time, which definatly is one of hte most awful movies ever made...ever.

Emu, if your conscience did jump to multiple universes at once, it wouldn't be aware of it. It would have to split so that each are independant of the other.

[therantinghuman]

You mean Schroedinger's cat? The cat in a box with a radioactive source that may or may not go off. Without opening the box, you can't tell whether it is alive or dead, so it is neither. It is only with opening the box that you can find this out, so the opening determines whether the cat is alive or dead.

Or something like that.

Wow. I just read about this a week ago. This is insane. (yeah, yeah, I know I'm late)

I think Schroedinger's cat is just a load of crap. How can a cat be fucking alive AND dead at the same time??? And the opening of the box determines whether the cat lives or dies? Consider this. Use an X-Ray device to keep an eye on the cat in the box. Or even better, use a wireless camera or something, or don't do that if the cat is a violent one.

And Bob, who said that "In Schroedinger's Box the cat is always either live or dead; it cannot be both (or neither) regardless of observation or not.", go read the Discover magazine dedicated to Einstein(I think it was the Septemer 2004 edition). There are a lot more thories that could make you scream in that book. Or maybe make you jump with joy with the revelations if you're an intellectual.

[Girdag Fireskull]

How can a cat be fucking alive AND dead at the same time??? And the opening of the box determines whether the cat lives or dies? Consider this. Use an X-Ray device to keep an eye on the cat in the box. Or even better, use a wireless camera or something, or don't do that if the cat is a violent one.

But then you are observing it. See?

[Chyld]

Isn't the cat supposed to be in a lead box? Therefore, no cameras, x-rays, etc. And if you can't see it, you've no idea if its dead or alive. Follow back to the start...

[SimeSublime]

And the entire fucking point of the experiment is that the cat can't be both alive and dead. I feel like a broken record over here.

Edit: typo.

This post has been edited by SimeSublime: 17 October 2004 - 12:50 AM

[Frimkron]

Yes Schroedinger's Cat is just a thought experiment to show how absurd the implications of quantum theory affecting the macro world are, as SimeSublime said. If the cat is both alive and dead until you observe it, then wouldn't you have both observed and not observed the cat until someone observes you, and so on.

But something called "decoherence" is now thought to prevent all the crazy quantum superposition stuff affecting large objects like cats. (or spiders)

[Frimkron]

Incidently I'd read about this quantum suicide idea before too - I think I picked up the same book as Yahtzee in a Waterstones about a year ago. I remember throwing it back on the shelf in disgust because I'd had the same idea already. I hate it when that happens!

[SimeSublime]

I remember disprooving timetravel when I was six. Then, a few years later somebody took my idea and called it the "Grandfather Paradox". I was quite saddened when I found that 'my idea' had actually been thought of a long time ago.