[1.1] Quantum mechanics and Tomb Raider
Tao uses the analogy of the game Tomb Raider as a model to give some intuition for the reasons behind the "weird" consequences of quantum mechanics (QM), in particular the so-called "many worlds interpretation". The game consists of two worlds:
(At this point, Tao apologizes for the violent analogy. Well, I've added a little drama... and fixed a loophole.)
Each save point before a lethal puzzle causes Lara's world (from her point of view) to split into many possible "developments", some of which involve her failure to solve the puzzle and thus death, while others have her survive. Figure 1 illustrates a sample puzzle: A tomb whose only exit a wooden trapdoor on the floor that leads to an underground passage. The tomb will collapse in, say, five minutes, and Lara ("L") must escape through the passageway, but the trapdoor is locked. The Player (smiley face) helps by creating a save point.
- Internal System: Lara Croft, the protagonist, needs to navigate tombs and solve the puzzles in them to survive. Suppose that she is intelligent and independent of the Player of the game.
- External System: the Player of the game can view the game world and "save" the game to "restore" it when Lara dies. "Restoring" resets Lara's memory (well, she simply went back to an "earlier state", right?). Unfortunately, he cannot see inside the tombs, which limits his assistance.
(At this point, Tao apologizes for the violent analogy. Well, I've added a little drama... and fixed a loophole.)
Each save point before a lethal puzzle causes Lara's world (from her point of view) to split into many possible "developments", some of which involve her failure to solve the puzzle and thus death, while others have her survive. Figure 1 illustrates a sample puzzle: A tomb whose only exit a wooden trapdoor on the floor that leads to an underground passage. The tomb will collapse in, say, five minutes, and Lara ("L") must escape through the passageway, but the trapdoor is locked. The Player (smiley face) helps by creating a save point.
Figure 1(a): Playing out a puzzle in a cave. The Player (smiley face) creates a save point to give Lara Croft ("L") three attempts to clear the puzzle; she only survives the last attempt.
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