However, each particle goes to a definite place (Figure 1.9.1 The idea quickly emerged that, because of its wave character, a particle’s trajectory and destination cannot be precisely predicted for each particle individually. The overall distribution shown at the bottom can be predicted as the diffraction of waves having the de Broglie wavelength of the electrons (CC BY 4.0 OpenStax).Īfter de Broglie proposed the wave nature of matter, many physicists, including Schrödinger and Heisenberg, explored the consequences. Each electron arrives at a definite location, which cannot be precisely predicted. : The building up of the diffraction pattern of electrons scattered from a crystal surface. Repeated measurements will display a statistical distribution of locations that appears wavelike (Figure 1.9.1 But if you set up exactly the same situation and measure it again, you will find the electron in a different location, often far outside any experimental uncertainty in your measurement. Experiments show that you will find the electron at some definite location, unlike a wave. What is the position of a particle, such as an electron? Is it at the center of the wave? The answer lies in how you measure the position of an electron. Matter and photons are waves, implying they are spread out over some distance. Heisenberg made the bold proposition that there is a lower limit to this precision making our knowledge of a particle inherently uncertain. Newtonian physics placed no limits on how better procedures and techniques could reduce measurement uncertainty so that it was conceivable that with proper care and accuracy all information could be defined. Until the dawn of quantum mechanics, it was held as a fact that all variables of an object could be known to exact precision simultaneously for a given moment. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle is a fundamental theory in quantum mechanics that defines why a scientist cannot measure multiple quantum variables simultaneously. In 1927 the German physicist Werner Heisenberg described such limitations as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, or simply the Uncertainty Principle, stating that it is not possible to measure both the momentum and position of a particle simultaneously. However, this possibility is absent in the quantum world. In classical physics, studying the behavior of a physical system is often a simple task due to the fact that several physical qualities can be measured simultaneously.
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