Smoking mouse chased by Schrödinger's cat?
After reading "The Smoking Mouse" in the March issue of symmetry, I believe I may be able to offer a viable theory to explain how the creature obtained entry into a seemingly impregnable H-spool magnet. While scampering through Fermilab, the mouse performed an observation that collapsed the wave-function of Schrödinger's cat, determining with 100 percent certainty that the cat was alive (since it had given up playing with a bit of string theory and was preparing to pounce). In the ensuing chase the mouse calculated that the probability of escape was so slim that, in desperation, it resorted to quantum tunneling, thus penetrating the steel box and ending up safely inside. Later, mistaking the technician for the cat, it tunneled out, and so was never directly observed. Admittedly, the matter of the chewed bird head isn't explained by this theory, but until a larger set of mouse evidence is gathered I think it can safely be dismissed as an observational artifact or anomaly.
Chris Paul, Sackville,
New Brunswick, Canada
Editor's note: Despite the suspicions of many readers, The Smoking Mouse was not an April Fool joke. The story has spread through the world thanks to additional distribution by newswire services.
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