Quantum particles, however, are much tinier and more slippery than your average Newtonian object. Basically, this is why things bigger than Planck’s constant don’t act as waves. The wavelength of a person is only one-millionth of a centimeter – far too short to be measured. The lighter the object, the larger its wavelength will be and vice versa. As you know, waves can be measured by their wavelengths. Let me focus a little more on the wavelength part. Therefore, a small particle like a photon or a free-moving electron functions like a ‘wave packet’, in which it has wave-like properties, such as wavelength, as well as particle-like properties, such as position and size. These quanta can be visualized as the occasional spikes in a heartbeat monitor. Scientists argued that energy was not received in a continuous stream, but in separate packets, known as ‘quanta’. This revolution of thought was the unfathomable, colorful, mystical world of quantum physics. For the visible world, Newtonian physics seem to suffice, but the smaller the particle gets, the more uncertainly it objectively behaves.Īs we approached the early years of the 20th century, a new stream of science took the academic world by storm. The value of this crucial constant is x joule seconds.īecause most objects visible to us are much larger than this constant, quantum uncertainty is not witnessed by us. This constant is extremely important in quantum physics, as it is an absolute way to measure the granularity of the world in the smallest of scales. This is called Planck’s constant (usually represented as h/2π). When you multiply the uncertainties of position (x) and momentum (p) (uncertainty is represented in the equation by the Greek letter Delta), you get a number that is greater than or equal to half of a constant ‘h-bar’. The more certain you are of one, the more uncertain you are of the other. In a single statement, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle points out that both the position and momentum of a particle cannot be known at the same time. What it basically refers to is the fundamental incoherence of quantum particles. Well, let’s first try and grasp the math behind the Principle. Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: The Equation Despite this, I will make a meager attempt at trying to simplify this concept to the best of my understanding, with as little math being involved as possible. Quantum physics is a perplexing rabbit hole that is best left to the professionals, thank you very much. However, the principle in itself is too clouded in obscurity for most of us mere mortals to grapple with.Īnd that is, of course, unsurprising. It has also evolved to become something that has been popularly adapted into various media streams to address philosophical topics, such as nihilism and absurdism. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle has been eulogized as one of the leading theories of quantum physics. This principle is due to the wave/particle duality of quantum objects. Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle is a theory in quantum physics that states that it is impossible to know both the position and momentum of a particle at the same time. Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: The Equation.

Heisenberg principle