Bohr was a gunfighter!

Niels Bohr needs no introduction. He was one of the pioneers of quantum mechanics, often being associated with the Copenhagen interpretation. The Bohr-Einstein debates on the nature of quantum physics have become legendary.


Bohr made headlines again more than forty years after his death, not due to his contributions to physics, but due to his contributions to the science of gunfighting! Bohr was a gunfighter. His "gunfights" with fellow physicist, George Gamow, may also become legendary! I quote from a recent article, The gunfighter's dilemma:

"It turns out that the celebrated Danish physicist and Nobel laureate, Niels Bohr, liked to take time off from figuring out the structure of the universe by watching westerns. Bohr noticed that the man who drew first invariably got shot, and speculated that the intentional act of drawing and shooting was slower to execute than the action in response. Here was a hypothesis that could be tested, and with the aid of cap guns hastily purchased in a Copenhagen toyshop, duly proved it. In a series of mock gunfights with colleagues Bohr always drew second and always won."

Bohr's "research" was recently replicated in a laboratory:

"Welchman's team organized simulated "gunfights" in the laboratory, with pairs of volunteers competing against each other to push three buttons on a computer console in a particular order. The researchers observed that the time interval between when players removed their hands from the first button and when they pressed the final button was on average 9% shorter for the players who reacted to an opponent moving first. However, those who reacted to a first move were more likely to make an error, presssing the buttons in the wrong order. Welchman speculates that this rapid, if somewhat inaccurate, response system may have evolved to help humans deal with danger, when immediate reaction is essential and the risk of an error worth taking."

The effect, however, was small, not enough to overcome the time lost by drawing second. So why did Bohr always win? Simple, he was a gunfighter. Good thing for Einstein that their debates never became duels!