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Thought experiments are used to test ideas that cannot be physically tested. They are used in theoretical sciences and philosophy. Schrödinger’s cat is a famous example. Thought experiments challenge accepted ideas and can lead to discoveries, such as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. They test the boundaries of the mind and imagination, promoting unusual ways of thinking.
A thought experiment is an experiment that is carried out in the realm of the imagination, rather than in a laboratory. Thought experiments are designed to test ideas, theories and hypotheses that cannot be physically tested, at least with current scientific equipment. In addition to being used in some branches of the theoretical sciences, thought experiments also emerge in fields such as philosophy, where people often explore complex topics that cannot be empirically tested or observed.
Probably the most famous thought experiment is that of Schrödinger’s cat, used to illustrate a concept known as quantum indeterminacy. In this thought experiment, you are asked to imagine a cat in a box with a vial of poison and a single radioactive atom that has a 50% chance of decaying and igniting the vial, causing the cat to die. In this thought experiment, before the box is opened, the cat is assumed to be both alive and dead, because you have no way of knowing what’s inside the box.
While Schrödinger’s cat is something of a creepy example of a thought experiment, it poses an interesting conundrum. Using the current laws of physics as they are understood, something cannot be alive and dead at the same time. However, in this thought experiment, the possibility of such a state is clearly illustrated, thus opening the door to an entirely new consideration of physics.
Thought experiments have been conducted extensively since the 1800s, although researchers and philosophers in earlier centuries have laid the groundwork. A thought experiment can be used to challenge an accepted idea, to explore the outcome of a given hypothesis, to think about physics or other branches of science in a new way, or to test the limits of a theoretical hypothesis. Many well-known researchers have used thought experiments in their work, and thought experiments have led to very famous discoveries in science, such as Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
When someone performs a thought experiment, the boundaries of the mind and imagination are tested to their limits. It is often necessary to suspend disbelief, or to make intuitive leaps, two things that are not normally encouraged in the sciences. The ability to think outside the box by performing a thought experiment can be crucial for people in the theoretical sciences, as it promotes unusual ways of thinking that can be used to fuel radical and sometimes extremely intriguing ideas.
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