Physics Can Be Fun!

I've decide to start a blog about how physicists view the world around them. There are far too many misconceptions circling the globe about physics. For one, it can be fun. I am living proof of that. I hope to dispel these negative associations. I plan to use this blog to recount everyday occurrences in which I see physics. Today's topic: Kill Bill Vol. 2. You read it correctly, I said Kill Bill. Specifically the scene with Black Mamba/The Bride/Beatrix Kiddo and Elle Driver in Budd's trailer. If you have not seen the movie, go rent it and watch it. Then you can keep reading. Earlier, Elle Driver kills Budd by hiding a black mamba in a suit case of money she's paying him with. As the scene progresses, the main character (code name Black Mamba) confronts Elle. They exchange words and fight... blah, blah, blah. The important part is at the end: after blinding Elle Driver, Black Mamba doesn't kill her. Instead she walks past the snake Elle used earlier and exits the trailer. That's it...there it is...PHYSICS!!! This is a classic set up for Schrodinger's Cat. The premise for this theoretical experiment is simple. There is a cat. Duh. You place that cat into a sealed box. Here's the twist: there's a vile of poison and a radioactive atom. If the atom decays, the vile breaks and kills the cat. If not, the cat lives. Here's the paradox: you don't know if the cat is dead or alive until you open the box. Whether or not Quentin Tarantino meant to do this is a mystery. Elle = cat, trailer = box, snake = poison. The audience is left wondering, "Does Elle die? Did the snake bite her? Is she still alive?" Beautiful! Pure genius! So there is your example of physics that normal people can enjoy!

If you want to know more about Schrodinger and his paradox, go to: http://www.lassp.cornell.edu/ardlouis/dissipative/Schrcat.html.
It's probably on Wikipedia, too. Maybe it's accurate.