Originally posted by Boxing Pythagoras
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Just as with all other scientific hypotheses, we start with the data that we have, form predictions, and construct experiments which would disconfirm these predictions. I must admit that I am woefully ignorant, currently, about many of the specifics of the different multiverse hypotheses, but one example of such an experiment comes to mind. It's called the Quantum Suicide experiment, and has been a subject of discussion by Many Worlds proponents for quite some time.
Let's imagine that we have set up a room with a gun which is triggered by a random quantum event. Let us further say that, on average, you observe that this gun is firing about 1 round per second. With exceptionally careful timing, you interpose your head between the gun and its target after a bullet has been fired. Then you wait. In the multiverse predicted by the Many Worlds interpretation, there are universes in which the next random triggering of the gun occurs significantly later than the average would have us believe. The Many Worlds interpretation predicts that there are universes where you will last 10 seconds, 5 minutes, 20 years, or even longer before the random event triggers the firearm. Some iteration of you will last, say, 5 minutes in this experiment, and upon removing your head from the gun's trajectory, you will see the average firing of 1 bullet-per-second resume as before. Such an event would be unfathomably improbable, and would lend incredible weight to the predictive and explanatory power of the Many Worlds interpretation.
Of course, the downside to this experiment is that there would be an infinity of universes in which this experiment would lead to an inconclusive early death for the experimenter, and it would be impossible for the successful experimenter to communicate his findings to those other universes. Still, it at least shows that there are experiments which could falsify such a multiverse model, even if they are not the most pragmatic.
Let's imagine that we have set up a room with a gun which is triggered by a random quantum event. Let us further say that, on average, you observe that this gun is firing about 1 round per second. With exceptionally careful timing, you interpose your head between the gun and its target after a bullet has been fired. Then you wait. In the multiverse predicted by the Many Worlds interpretation, there are universes in which the next random triggering of the gun occurs significantly later than the average would have us believe. The Many Worlds interpretation predicts that there are universes where you will last 10 seconds, 5 minutes, 20 years, or even longer before the random event triggers the firearm. Some iteration of you will last, say, 5 minutes in this experiment, and upon removing your head from the gun's trajectory, you will see the average firing of 1 bullet-per-second resume as before. Such an event would be unfathomably improbable, and would lend incredible weight to the predictive and explanatory power of the Many Worlds interpretation.
Of course, the downside to this experiment is that there would be an infinity of universes in which this experiment would lead to an inconclusive early death for the experimenter, and it would be impossible for the successful experimenter to communicate his findings to those other universes. Still, it at least shows that there are experiments which could falsify such a multiverse model, even if they are not the most pragmatic.
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