The Origin of the Uncertainty Principle

In day to day life, it is a straightforward matter to calculate the velocity and the position of a moving body of matter. A car travelling at 50 km/h will have covered a certain distance in a certain amount of time, and it will be easily observable. But in quantum systems where the movement being measured is of subatomic particles, such calculations are impossible even in theory because of a mathematical relationship called the uncertainty principle.

The origin of the uncertainty principle took place with the theory articulated by Werner Heisenberg in 1927. He said that the position and velocity of an object could not be measured at the same time, even in a theoretical way. So the origin of the uncertainty principle posited the idea that in nature, the concepts of an exact position or exact velocity at the same time are not possible. When applied to ordinary macroscopic objects, it may not be observable. The uncertainties of the principle are too insignificant to offer any measurable changes. However, these uncertainties become quite apparent at the level of quantum particles.

The uncertainty principle

The uncertainty principle states that the product of the uncertainties in position and velocity is greater than or equal to a minimal physical quantity, which is h/4𝜋 and h is Planck’s constant. It is only at the level of tiny masses like electrons that this product of uncertainties gains any notable significance.

xph/4

The idea behind the uncertainty principle

This idea can be explained better with the help of an example. Suppose there is a pond and waves are forming in the pond. The speed of a single wave would have to be measured by observing the peaks and the trough formed by the ripple. The more the number of peaks and troughs passing under observation, the more accurately the speed of the wave will be measured. But if the object were to observe the position of a single peak, then only a tiny section of the wave would have to be monitored. It would be necessary to stop observing the passage of other peaks and troughs to do this. Thus, it would not be possible to calculate the speed of the wave.

Subatomic particles behave like waves. That is why the uncertainty principle applies to them. The uncertainty principle that applies to quantum physics has a principle similar to it that applies to classical physics and applied mathematics. According to this, any particle with demonstrable wave-like properties will exhibit the uncertainty principle in its movement.

Measurement of the velocity and position of an electron

Heisenberg sought to observe the position and velocity of electrons by using a gamma-ray microscope. He found that when an attempt is made to measure the velocity of any subatomic particle, the particle gets knocked off its trajectory, unpredictably. So measuring its position at a particular velocity is of no use whatsoever. This does not happen because there are inadequacies in the method or instruments used for the purpose, or how the observer makes these observations. This is a result of how particles with wave-like properties behave because particles share a unique relationship with wave-like movements in nature.

Conclusion

The origin of the uncertainty principle’s importance lies in the fact that it does away with the existence of paths and trajectories of particles such as the electron. The trajectory of any object is determined by its position taken in conjunction with its velocity at various points. The origin of the uncertainty principle questions the long-standing tradition of assuming that certain phenomena have a single result or value. Instead, it highlights that observation may have several values or effects. It also brings forward some fundamental attributes of how wave-like particles behave in quantum systems.