What does the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle state that it is impossible to know?

1 Answer
Gió
Apr 28, 2015

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle tells us that it is not possible to know with absolute precision the position AND the momentum of a particle (at microscopic level).
This principle can be written (along the x axis, for example) as :
DeltaxDeltap_x>=h/(4pi) (h is Planck's Constant)

Where Delta represents the Uncertainty in measuring the position along x or to measure the momentum, p_x along x.
If, for example, Deltax becomes negligible (uncertainty zero), so you know EXACTLY where your particle is, the uncertainty in its momentum becomes infinite (you'll never know where it is going next!!!!)!

This tells you a lot about the idea of absolute measurements and precision of a measurement at a microscopic level!!! (also because, at microscopic level, a particle becomes....a Wavicle!!!!)

Hope it helps!

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