2088: Schwarzschild's Cat

2018-12-22T11:39:14Z

Ralphcook:

{{comic
| number = 2088
| date = December 21, 2018
| title = Schwarzschild's Cat
| image = schwarzschilds_cat.png
| titletext = Cats can be smaller than the critical limit, but they're unobservable. If one shrinks enough that it crosses the limit, it just appears to get cuter and cuter as it slowly fades from view.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SMALL CAT WITH NO CONCEPT OF FIELD EQUATIONS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is primarily a wordplay joke about the {{w|Schwarzschild radius}}, or the radius surrounding a black hole corresponding to the {{w|event horizon}}. The event horizon, in turn, is the limit from which nothing can leave a black hole. The joke is that, apparently, smaller cats are cuter, and there is a limit below which a sufficiently small cat (but larger than zero) will approach infinite cuteness.

It's also a reference to the {{w|Schrodinger's cat}} thought-experiment, since the name "Schrodinger" is easily confused with "Schwarzschild" and both men were interested in quantum physics.

The title text makes multiple allusions. First, it alludes to what happens when an object falls into a black hole. From an outside observer's point of view, such objects appear to slow down and take an infinite amount of time to cross the Schwarzschild radius due to the time dilation of {{w|General relativity}}. The object's photons will become increasingly red-shifted, fading as they lose energy to the black hole's gravity well.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A graph is shown. The x-axis is labeled "Cat size" and the y-axis, "Cat cuteness". Parallel to and a short distance from the y axis is a dashed line the same length as the y-axis line; the space between the y axis and the dashed line is labelled "Critical Limit". Graphed is a function coming down from infinity, starting close to the dashed line; it then levels off and does not reach zero on-screen. At the top end of the function is the text "Schwarzschild's Cat" and an arrow to indicate it. In line with the top end of the function is a vertical dashed line.]
{{comic discussion}}

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2088: Schwarzschild's Cat