Joel Gilmore’s Home

by Joel Gilmore

(To the tune of “Pore Jud is Daid” from Oklahoma). Bracketed parts are a chorus echo!

Schrodinger’s cat is dead!
At least, I think he’s dead…
Unless he’s both alive and dead at once? (Both at once!)
We really cannot tell
If he’s sick or if he’s well,
Until we open up and let him out. (Let him out!)

The problem, can you see,
Is quantum the-o-ry,
This cat is in a superposition of states (Two at once!)
But this state will collapse
To alive, or dead, perhaps,
When an observation on him we perform. (We perform!)

I’m opening the box!
It smells like…mouldy socks,
I fear our friend has met a grizzly fate! (Grizzly fate!)
But wait! What’s this I see?
Praise Dirac! – He’s tunneled free!
Let’s give thanks and praise to quantum theory! (The-o-ry!)

Copyright Joel Gilmore, 2004

If you liked this song, check out my other songs or visit my blog Illuminating Science.