Difference between revisions of "Schrödinger's category"
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| − | <onlyinclude>A question that is ambiguously in one of two or more different [[categories]] is said to be in '''Schrödinger's category'''; this situation can arise during either gameplay or [[packet submission | + | <onlyinclude>A question that is ambiguously in one of two or more different [[categories]] is said to be in '''Schrödinger's category'''; this situation can arise during either gameplay (to work out what categories may yet come up) or [[packet submission]] (to determine what categories still need to be written).</onlyinclude> |
| + | Accidentally coined by [[Ophir Lifshitz]] on March 2, 2025, not realizing it was also a perfect pun. | ||
Examples: | Examples: | ||
| − | *a biochemistry question may be put in either [[ | + | *a [[biochemistry]] question may be put in either [[Biology]] or [[Chemistry]]; similarly an [[astrophysics]] question may be in either [[Physics]] or [[Astronomy]] |
| − | *cross-cutting topics like [[science history]] may be put in the [[ | + | *cross-cutting topics like [[science history]] may be put in the [[Other Academic]] section or in any of the categories it draws clues from |
==The cat== | ==The cat== | ||
| − | [ | + | [[wikipedia:Schrödinger's cat|Schrödinger's cat]] is a thought experiment in quantum mechanics that compares the superposition of a wavefunction to a cat being simultaneously alive and dead until it is observed, at which point its state "collapses" to one or the other. |
| + | |||
| + | By analogy, the true category of a question in "Schrödinger's category" can only be determined once enough other questions have been observed to "collapse" it into one of its possible states using the known constraints of the [[distribution]]. | ||
{{c|Quizbowl lingo}} | {{c|Quizbowl lingo}} | ||
Latest revision as of 08:09, 6 March 2025
A question that is ambiguously in one of two or more different categories is said to be in Schrödinger's category; this situation can arise during either gameplay (to work out what categories may yet come up) or packet submission (to determine what categories still need to be written). Accidentally coined by Ophir Lifshitz on March 2, 2025, not realizing it was also a perfect pun.
Examples:
- a biochemistry question may be put in either Biology or Chemistry; similarly an astrophysics question may be in either Physics or Astronomy
- cross-cutting topics like science history may be put in the Other Academic section or in any of the categories it draws clues from
The cat
Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment in quantum mechanics that compares the superposition of a wavefunction to a cat being simultaneously alive and dead until it is observed, at which point its state "collapses" to one or the other.
By analogy, the true category of a question in "Schrödinger's category" can only be determined once enough other questions have been observed to "collapse" it into one of its possible states using the known constraints of the distribution.