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

At the smallest, quantum scale, velocity and position are not just numbers, like they are for big things like cups and balls. They are a wave function, which means that a particular value might be the most likely value, but other numbers close to it are also pretty likely. This uncertainty can’t be reconciled through more measurements, the more accurately you confine position the less precise your velocity measurements – and vice versa.