BBC Home

Explore the BBC

Front Page

Life | The Universe | Everything | Advanced Search
 
Front PageReadTalkContributeHelp!FeedbackWho is Online
New visitors: Create your membership
Returning members: Sign in
 
This is the Conversation Forum for 'The Glass Is Half Full' - Good or Bad?
<< Another Possibility...
the real questions... >>

Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Oct 13, 2002 by
dysprosia
 
Posting 1

Next Posting
What about a kind of quantum mechanics-esque type of view that the glass is both half full and empty at the same time? That's my view...

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Oct 13, 2002 by
turvy. No more than 30 charac~
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 2

Previous PostingNext Posting
If you know where the glass is you can't know it's state though!

turvyblackcat - a Schrodinger's cat.biggrin

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Oct 25, 2002 by
dysprosia
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 3

Previous PostingNext Posting
True, though...but when posed with the question we don't really have a real glass, however, unless someone pours water into a glass and then asks...

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Mar 14, 2003 by
Researcher Squangos
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 4

Previous PostingNext Posting
Maybe you could try and prove that the problematic moron asking the question doesn't exist...

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Mar 14, 2003 by
turvy. No more than 30 charac~
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 5

Previous PostingNext Posting
cat strawberries

Reply
Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Feb 15, 2004 by
Nemiziz
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 6

Previous PostingNext Posting
So you think it's a question of is it +0 or -0 ?

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Feb 16, 2004 by
turvy. No more than 30 charac~
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 7

Previous PostingNext Posting
Nooooooo!...........


It's more a question of observer effect.

If the drinker is in a sealed container with two glasses - one half full and one half empty - and is about to take a drink, then the external observer event is deteministic in that it forces the infinity of probabilities to take but one path.

......anyone thirsty?
stiffdrink ale cappuccino coffee oj bubbly tea milk redwine stout

turvytongueout

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Feb 18, 2004 by
Researcher Squangos
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 8

Previous PostingNext Posting
To quote turvy:

If you know where the glass is you can't know it's state though!

Maybe that's why people can't find their drinks! Sure, you may say that someone else took it, prehaps the barman. But when you know it's only got a sip left, at most, to have quantum mechanics step in&#8230; Well, it makes sense&#8230; Right?

To quote you again, turvy:

If the drinker is in a sealed container with two glasses - one half full and one half empty - and is about to take a drink, then the external observer event is deteministic in that it forces the infinity of probabilities to take but one path.

&#8230;How many glasses did you make full-empty to think that up? IT'S RIDICULOUS! For starters, you need to pour these drinks. How do you NOT observe the ammount poured? What are the chances you fill a glass halfway without looking? Also, you're assuming the contents of both glasses is the same. What if it isn't? What if you have a half-full glass of water and a half-empty glass of, say, cool, refreshing beer. Then you're just observing common sense. You can't know what's in those glasses, because that's observing, and that screws up the experiment! And infinity of probabilities? Glass 1 or glass 2? Not much of an infinity&#8230;

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Feb 18, 2004 by
Researcher Squangos
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 9

Previous PostingNext Posting
P.S.: Where it goes &#8230; I meant to put ... Sorry about that.

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Feb 21, 2004 by
turvy. No more than 30 charac~
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 10

Previous PostingNext Posting
Whoever mentioned sense...leave the room immediatelysilly

turvy

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Mar 2, 2004 by
Researcher Squangos
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 11

Previous PostingNext Posting
Ah, but if there is no sense, then there is no sense in anyone leavingevilgrin . So I'm not going to. tongueout

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Mar 4, 2004 by
turvy. No more than 30 charac~
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 12

Previous PostingNext Posting
I'm beginning to feel a bit entangled...

turvytongueout yvurt

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Mar 4, 2004 by
turvy. No more than 30 charac~
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 13

Previous PostingNext Posting
...Ooops


turvyblackcat yvrut

Reply
Read the First Reply to this Posting

Click here to register a complaint about this Posting
Subject: Quantum water glasses?
Posted Mar 4, 2004 by
Researcher Squangos
This is a reply to this Posting  
Posting 14

Previous Posting
Do you need a pair of scissors? Actually, I was thinking about combining the half full/half empty problem with The Infamous Schrodinger's Cat (I believe you'll agree it deserves the capital letters. I also believe that no cat should be forced to undergo such treatment. There's a long list of people I don't like much, however...evilgrin . Bwah ha, and a HA! on top of that. Death-life superposition is too good for them... Anyway, there was a point somewhere... Ah!).
Suppose you take the cat and the box, chuck the all the rest (Radioactive atom, Geiger counter, poison dispencer), remove the cat, put in one of the people on the list, and two glasses at 50% capacity. One is poisoned. The glasses are mixed around. The person cannot possibly know which glass is poisoned. He is forced to choose on of the glasses (Maybe he's poisoned, and the other glass (The non-poisoned one) contains the antidote. I don't really care. As long as he suffers. Don't know why it's a he, exactly. Women don't bother with me, I supposewah . Anyway.). Before he drinks, he writes on the back of an envelope (I don't know how it got there. But whenever there is drinking, there's the back of an envelope to write stuff down on. It's probably another quantum phenomenon, which could get rid of that "Snail Mail" comment. And increase the number of drinking establishments, which is no bad thing. Anyway.) if he thinks one of the glasses is half full or half empty (Could be the glass he drank from or the other one, you can't tell.).
Now not only is he in a life/death superposition, what's written on the back of the envelope is in a half-full/half-empty superposition and both glasses are in drunk/not drunk superpositions. While all this is going on, you can pretend you're Blofeld and be stroking the cat. And laughing. Moron. "Let's have a friendly drink", you said. AND HE FELL FOR IT! BWAH HA, and a HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! on top. Then you open the box and shoot him.

Reply
Click here to register a complaint about this Posting




Already at Start of ConversationNo Older Postings to ShowNo Newer Postings to ShowAlready at End of Conversation
Postings 1-20

Conversation list


Most of the content on h2g2 is created by h2g2's Researchers, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click on the relevant button to alert our Moderation Team.


Already at Start of ConversationNo Older Postings to ShowNo Newer Postings to ShowAlready at End of Conversation
Postings 1-20

Conversation list

Front PageReadTalkContributeHelp!FeedbackWho is Online

Most of the content on h2g2 is created by h2g2's Researchers, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced. In the event that you consider anything on this page to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please click here. For any other comments, please click on the Feedback button above.


About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy