And what exactly is it?
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Before we talk about what a superposition is, let’s talk about where it comes from namely the field of quantum mechanics. In quantom mechanics, outcomes are probably stick rather than deterministic as they are in Newtonian mechanics.
So what the heck did I just say? In Newtonian mechanics, we know exactly what the outcome of an event will be, we just need to calculate for the variables involved. When I throw a ball up in the air, we can predict exactly how high it will go, where it will land, and how fast it be going when it does.
Quantom mechanics is very different. In a quantum mechanical system, the exact outcome of an event is unknown. Using a model that is commonly discussed known as the double slit experiment as an example, when we fire a particle at the double slit we don’t know where the particle will land. Instead, what we know are the probabilities of the particle landing at any particular location. There is no guarantee where the particle will land, and every time we repeat the experiment there will be a different result ( more accurately the results will all fall within one of the expected possible outcomes, not that there will be a unique outcome for each individual experiment). This feature is at the very crux of what it means to be a quantum mechanical system. Now, quantom mechanics is very weird (VERY weird), and certain conditions such as observation can cause “the wave function to collapse” ( this is a reference to the Schrodinger wave function, the equation that is used to calculate the probabilities of certain events in a Quantum system) and a quantom system reverts back to a classical/Newtowian system.
Okay, so back to your question. What is a superposition? Well the simplest answer to that is that a superposition is what we call an event that is still in the probabilistic (ie undetermined) state. A superposition is what exists before a pesky observer gets curious and causes the wave function to collapse. A superposition, by definition, means multiple outcomes are possible and undetermined. How is it possible? Well, it’s possible because it makes accurate predictions about the world around us. Superpositions are not just a thought experiment, they’re not some theoretical abstract concept that only makes sense on paper. The Schrodinger wave function makes many predictable, measurable, verifiable predictions about particle interactions and is arguably at the very heart if what makes all chemistry work.
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