The present quantum mechanics is not a theory in the sense of the old theories, but rather a collection of rules for the calculation of probabilities.
Click any product to generate a realistic preview. Up to 3 at a time.
* Initial load can take up to 90 seconds — revising the preview in another color is nearly instant.
"Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for in terms of anything else."
"The best way to escape from the problem is to solve it."
"We are told such a number as the square root of 2 worried Pythagoras and his school almost to exhaustion. Being used to such queer numbers from early childhood, we must be careful not to form a low id…"
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination."
"The fact that the world is in a constant state of flux is the very reason why it can be understood."
Austrian physicist who shared the 1933 Nobel for the wave equation that bears his name and the famous cat thought-experiment. Closely associated with Werner Heisenberg (matrix-mechanics rival who reached the same physics by different math) and Albert Einstein (his pen-pal on quantum interpretation). For an intellectual contrast, see Niels Bohr, Danish physicist and architect of the Copenhagen interpretation — Schrödinger's cat thought-experiment was specifically designed to ridicule Bohr's 'observer-dependent reality' reading of quantum mechanics — Schrödinger thought the Copenhagen interpretation was absurd; the cat was meant as reductio ad absurdum.
Found in 1 providers: grok
1 source checked
Quantum mechanics doesn't explain reality the way classical physics does — it doesn't tell you why or how things happen, only how likely they are to happen a certain way. Traditional theories gave causal mechanisms; quantum mechanics gives probabilities. Schrödinger is flagging that despite its predictive power, quantum mechanics lacks the explanatory depth of a real theory — it's a powerful calculating tool, not a complete picture of physical reality.
Schrödinger invented wave mechanics in 1926 hoping to give quantum theory a more intuitive, continuous physical picture — he hated pure probabilism. His famous Schrödinger's cat paradox was a direct protest against Copenhagen's probabilistic interpretation. He collaborated with Einstein, who shared his unease. This quote captures his lifelong dissatisfaction: he believed quantum mechanics was incomplete, a placeholder until physics found a deeper, truly explanatory theory of nature.
In the 1920s–30s, physics was being revolutionized by quantum theory, which abandoned the determinism of Newton and even Einstein. The Copenhagen interpretation — championed by Bohr and Heisenberg — declared probability fundamental to nature, not merely a reflection of ignorance. Einstein's 'God does not play dice' captured widespread unease. Schrödinger's statement echoes that era's profound discomfort: brilliant physicists were simultaneously building and doubting a framework that worked without anyone fully understanding what it meant.
AI-generated insights based on extensive research and information for context. Factual errors? Email [email protected].
Your cart is empty
