Momentum Quantum Mechanics

Posted on January 01, 2012 by Admin
Momentum Quantum Mechanics

Momentum Quantum Mechanics

There are many uncertainties in life and many people have contemplated uncertainty. Bertrand Russell was a real fan: “Not to be absolutely certain is, I think, one of the essential things in rationality.” and “The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” Then there's the old anonymous saying: “If you can't change your mind, are you sure you still have one?” Even Oprah Winfrey got into the act: “I believe that uncertainty is really my spirit's way of whispering, 'I'm in flux. I can't decide for you. Something is off-balance here.'" Pliny the Elder may have summed it up best when he said: “...the only certainty is that nothing is certain.”

Uncertainty Principle

In quantum physics, Werner Heisenberg determined that the more is known about the momentum of a particle (like an electron or photon), the less is known about its position. Similarly, the more is known about its position, the less is known about its momentum. Thus, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle is the inability to determine (with any degree of certainty) the position and momentum of a particle simultaneously. The uncertainty principle bothers some people because it doesn't seem to jibe with normal everyday things like baseballs. But quantum physics reveals that states with both definite position and definite momentum at the same time simply don't exist.

In other words, atomic particles influence each other in ways that violate space and time in so far as how people think about space and time for baseballs. Additionally, simply by measuring a particle's position, conditions are established that limit its momentum. Likewise, by measuring a particle's momentum, conditions are established that restrict its position. Even though it's totally counter-intuitive, the uncertainty principle is not even that radical an idea for quantum physics. Even physicist Fred Alan Wolf asked, “How is it that an observer can change, by looking, what it is that's being looked at?”