I Pioneered Scientific Magic - Chapter 517 (Patreon)

Chapter 517: Lynn's Quantum Cat

Although Lynn introduced concepts like photons, wavelength formulas, and probability cloud models, these theories plunged the present wizards into deep thought.

However, many still remembered their purpose for coming here—to confront the Star of Magic and to salvage what little remained of the magical foundations under the onslaught of quantum theory.

Alade was well aware that if they couldn't refute Lynn today, wave-particle duality and the elemental probability cloud model would be recognized by the council as the mainstream magical doctrines, causing the once orderly and regimented magic tower to collapse.

With this thought, Alade turned and signaled to Bold.

It was his turn to take the stage.

The great wizard named Bold nodded and clapped his hands, at which point a few apprentices carried out a large, fully enclosed cage.

"This is a gift for you, Speaker Lynn!" Bold pointed at the cage.

Lynn glanced at it, curious due to its considerable size.

"Inside is a camel beast, which according to your quantum theory, is probably both dead and alive!" Bold explained with a laugh.

He had released a delayed lethal toxin inside the cage. A robust camel beast usually faints and dies within six to ten hours.

"And now that seven hours have passed, it could be dead or alive. So, can we say it is currently in a superposition of both dead and alive?" Bold proudly stated.

The wizards laughed among themselves.

Of course, that was impossible!

Even without observing, they knew the camel beast inside the cage had to be in one state—either dead or alive.

Bold’s use of life and death to allegorize waves and particles was quite apt since logically, they cannot coexist.

A creature cannot be both alive and dead, just as an object cannot be both a particle and a wave.

The great wizards, including Alade, turned to Lynn, extremely curious about how the Star of Magic would respond to this sharp question.

Bold's expression of pride gradually faded, his heart filled with unease as he began to regret presenting such a ‘gift’ that might have offended the newly appointed speaker.

Though he had heard that this Star of Magic was open-minded in magical debates, it was merely hearsay.

As everyone watched, Lynn suddenly raised his hand toward Bold.

Just as the great wizards wondered if the Star of Magic was angered, they saw him merely patting Bold on the shoulder, then speaking appreciatively.

"Your understanding of quantum theory is very good, Master Bold!"

"Huh? Ah?!" Bold paused, almost thinking he had misheard.

Alade and the others were equally stunned, unable to comprehend why the Star of Magic would commend Bold for the camel beast in the cage, clearly meant to mock his wave-particle duality and probability theory.

However, Lynn seemed unconcerned, smiling at a bewildered Bold, explaining, "A camel beast in a closed state, potentially dead at any moment, indeed interprets some quantum characteristics…"

"But the state of this camel beast can only be either dead or alive, not their superposition!" a great wizard couldn’t help interrupting. "Whether observed or not, it cannot possibly be both dead and alive!"

"But if unobserved, we indeed cannot confirm its true state, can we?" Lynn raised an eyebrow, then looked at Bold, speaking again.

"Your idea is good, but the description isn’t quite fitting. Let's slightly modify the conditions."

"Change? How so?" Bold was puzzled.

"First, this cage isn't sufficiently enclosed; add magic that isolates sensing and probing while ensuring there is enough oxygen inside," Lynn tapped the large iron box holding the camel beast.

Bold’s preparation was clearly insufficient; the enclosed cage had limited oxygen, and the poisoned camel beast would have probably suffocated by now!

"Secondly, we should put a living creature inside. Considering what to put…"

"Let it be a cat!" Lynn’s lips curled into a smile. "Then in the enclosed box, place a device that also contains a lethal gas, triggered when decay particles hit a switch!"

"We’ll assume that the radioactive element inside the device has a fifty percent chance per second to release alpha particles, and the particles have a fifty percent chance of freely hitting the switch. This better represents a quantum superposition!" As Lynn spoke, a black, magic-formed, fully sealed box appeared in his palm.

"Now I ask you, what is its state right now—alive or dead!"

Lynn’s voice echoed throughout the grand hall.

All the wizards present looked at the black box in Lynn’s hands! Even though they knew the box was conjured on the spot and contained nothing, Alade and the others seemed to see a quantum cat inside, its form bizarre and ever on the brink of living and dying!

Bold’s lips twitched slightly; he thought his cage's camel beast was strange enough, but now compared to this quantum cat, it was nothing!

"I cannot be certain whether it's dead or alive, but I know there’s a one in

 four chance that the cat will be killed, and over time, it's almost certain to die!" a wizard urgently retorted.

"Yes, possibly, just possibly!" Lynn laughed. "I can also tell you, electrons continually emitted, observed a hundred times, are highly likely to land within the area I've outlined, and with time, this probability will only increase!"

"This is my probability cloud theory!"

The state of the cat inside the box is unknown and cannot affect the outside world.

For the observers outside, the cat remains in a probable state of death, only fixed at the moment the box is opened!

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