Schrödinger's Cat

State superposition and wave function collapse — an interactive diagram

superposition ( box closed ) observe collapsed state ( box open ) time alive dead both states equally real ? alive! dead.

While the box is closed, both states — alive and dead — coexist with equal reality. Opening the box (any physical interaction) causes decoherence: the superposition collapses into a single definite outcome. Consciousness plays no role; the interaction itself is what matters. Click "try again" to run a new observation.