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Schrodinger's Cat T-Shirt

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celticgeek:
I just have to mention this t-shirt I saw today.  I went in to buy a new computer and the techie (not the sales guy) was wearing a
t-shirt that said, on the front, "Schrodinger's cat is dead."  On the back it said, "Schrodinger's cat is not dead."

I complimented him on the shirt, and explained that I was a physicist.  He replied that he had gotten lots of comments on the shirt, but this was the first time he did not have to explain it. 

Truly a cool shirt. 

Eris:
It's available on Thinkgeek.com

celticgeek:
Sorry, I should have mentioned that.  I have already ordered mine.  I just had not seen it before. 

Elizzybeth:
It's a good t-shirt!

But is Schrodinger's cat really not general knowledge?  I'm pretty sure I read about in a kids picture book about physics when I was nine or ten.  I mean, admittedly, I don't understand the complex quantum mechanics behind it... but I've got the basic cat-in-a-box-with-poison,-a-hammer,-and-a-Geiger-counter-rigged-with-a-potentially-radioactive-substance part down.  And Wikipedia's list of popular culture references to the theory suggests that maybe it's a little better understood than the techie's experiences would suggest?

KickThatBathProf:
I'm pretty sure not many of us as children read physics picture books as kids.  At least in the U.S., Physics talk is generally saved up until high school.  I didn't know about Schrodinger until AP Physics senior year.

Also, most of those popular culture references are really just subtle nods toward the paradox (a few have merely cats named Schrodinger) and host of the TV shows aren't really well-watched, except for House, Numb3rs, and maybe Six Feet Under.

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