Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. Why, exactly, can you not know both the velocity and position of a particle?

Question

Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. Why, exactly, can you not know both the velocity and position of a particle?

In: 146

Answer 1

Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle states that it is impossible to know both the exact position and the exact velocity of a subatomic particle at the same time. The more precisely you know one of these values, the less precisely you can know the other.

This principle arises from the fact that particles can exhibit both wave-like and particle-like behavior. When we try to measure the position of a particle, we are essentially bouncing a photon off of it, which changes the particle’s velocity. Similarly, when we try to measure the velocity of a particle, we are interacting with it in a way that changes its position.

So, the more precisely we try to measure one of these values, the more we disturb the other value. This means that there is a fundamental limit to how precisely we can know both the position and velocity of a particle at the same time.

In summary, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle arises from the wave-particle duality of subatomic particles, and states that it is impossible to know both the exact position and the exact velocity of a particle at the same time due to the disturbance caused by measurement.

Citations:
[1] https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/quantum-science-explained/uncertainty-principle
[2] https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Quantum_Mechanics/02._Fundamental_Concepts_of_Quantum_Mechanics/Heisenberg’s_Uncertainty_Principle
[3] https://chem.libretexts.org/Courses/Pacific_Union_College/Quantum_Chemistry/01%3A_The_Dawn_of_the_Quantum_Theory/1.09%3A_The_Heisenberg_Uncertainty_Principle
[4] https://www.britannica.com/science/uncertainty-principle
[5] https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/quantum-physics/quantum-numbers-and-orbitals/v/heisenberg-uncertainty-principle
[6] https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-physics/chapter/29-7-probability-the-heisenberg-uncertainty-principle/