Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

An uncertain world!

Muhammad Suhail Zubairy

Published Sep 14, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Abstract One of the foundational principles of quantum mechanics is Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation. According to this relation, no one can measure both the position of a particle and how fast it is moving simultaneously no matter how precise the measuring instruments. Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation and the associated Bohr’s principle of complementarity are explained using simple examples. The idea that measurement disturbs the system is a source of the uncertainty. The philosophical question whether the uncertainty represents only our inability to measure the properties precisely or it has much deeper consequences related to the question of reality is also discussed.

DOI
10.1093/oso/9780198883067.003.0008

Related papers

Chapter Nine

L I Ponomarev

The more scientists learned about the atom, the less categorical became the questions they put to nature. The uncertainty relation is a strict law of nature, which is in no way related to some imperfections of our devices. The uncertainty relation is directly opposed to intuition and everyday experience. Heisenberg explained the matter by discarding still another idealization of classical physics — the concept of observation. It turned out that in quantum mechanics it had to be revised, along with the concept of motion. The concepts of “phenomenon”, “measurement”, and “observation” are closely related to one another but they are by no means identical. Any measurement is essentially interaction between the instrument and the object to be studied. The principle that Bohr named complementarity is one of the most fundamental philosophical and scientific ideas of our time, which can only be compared to the principle of relativity and the concept of a physical field.

CRC Press eBooks•Nov 11, 2021•0 citations

Anti Heisenberg—Refutation Of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Relation

Ilija Barukčić

The quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum plays an important role in many treatments on the (philosophical, physical and other) implications of quantum mechanics. Roughly speaking, the more precisely the momentum (position) of a (quantum mechanical) object is given, the less precisely can one say what its position (momentum) is. This quantum mechanical measurement problem is not just an interpretational difficulty, it raises broader issues as well. The measurement (of a property) of a (quantum mechanical) object determines the existence of the measured. In brief, the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle challenges some fundamental principles of Science and especially the principle of causality. In particular, an independently existing (external) objective reality is denied. As we shall see, that the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum is based on the assumption that 1⩽0, which is a logical contradiction.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 2011•15 citations

Anti Heisenberg—Refutation Of Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Relation

Ilija Barukčić, Andrei Yu. Khrennikov, Gregg S. Jaeger +2 more

The quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum plays an important role in many treatments on the (philosophical, physical and other) implications of quantum mechanics. Roughly speaking, the more precisely the momentum (position) of a (quantum mechanical) object is given, the less precisely can one say what its position (momentum) is. This quantum mechanical measurement problem is not just an interpretational difficulty, it raises broader issues as well. The measurement (of a property) of a (quantum mechanical) object determines the existence of the measured. In brief, the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle challenges some fundamental principles of Science and especially the principle of causality. In particular, an independently existing (external) objective reality is denied. As we shall see, that the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum is based on the assumption that 1⩽0, which is a logical contradiction.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 2011•0 citations

A brief analysis of the physical significance of Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

Guannan Zhou

The principle of uncertainty is one of the essential principles of quantum mechanics as it outlines that there is a reflective limit to the measurement of microscopic particle motion. However it is impossible to measure at once and accurately both the position and momentum data of any microscopic particle no matter what means are used to do so. This paper starts by discussing the notion and mathematical derivation of the uncertainty principle as put forth by Heisenberg explaining the physical relevance of the principle. It introduces the natural uncertainty the principle introduces to the dynamics of particles in the microscopic world, and the significant part it plays in the theory of quantum mechanics. The article overviews the explanations of the principle on phenomena including atomic stability and scanning tunneling microscopes, and the interference of measurement actions on the states of particles and the shortcomings of measurement precision. According to the wave-particle duality of quantum mechanics, this article gives a required theoretical basis of microscopic phenomena. Likewise, the use of the research theory on the uncertainty principle by distinguished scholars in the physics fraternity helps the readers in achieving the knowledge in related subjects more easily.

Advances in Engineering Innovation•Apr 7, 2026•0 citations

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

S. Rajasekar, R. Velusamy

One of the most striking deviations of quantum mechanics from classical mechanics is that any measurement of a microscopic system involves the interaction with the measuring instruments. The interaction cannot be neglected and in fact leads to uncontrollable disturbance on the system. In 1927, Werner Karl Heisenberg in his celebrated paper established the quantitative expression for unavoidable momentum disturbance caused by any position measurement. The crucial word here is simultaneously. The uncertainty relation gives the lower bound on the product of the uncertainties of two pairs of variables. But it says nothing about the accuracy with which individual observables can be measured. The physical meaning of energy-time uncertainty is different from that of x-px uncertainty. Position and momentum are observables to which Hermitian operators are assigned and which are measured at a particular time. An important implication of the uncertainty principle is that quantum systems do follow classical trajectories which conflict with our everyday experience.

CRC Press eBooks•Sep 29, 2022•1 citation

Bohr and Heisenberg

Bernard d’Espagnat

One of the various interpretations of quantum mechanics occupies a privileged position in the opinion of the majority of physicists. This is the Copenhagen view, which owes its fame and popularity not only to historical reasons but also to its simplicity and practical efficiency. As is well known, the Copenhagen outlook was elaborated collectively. Nevertheless, Niels Bohr's and W. Heisenberg's contributions should be singled out as particularly outstanding. This chapter describes two principles, which are in fact the two pillars on which Bohr's doctrine is built. These are: The working of measuring instruments must be accounted for in purely classical terms . Another one is quantum systems that should not even be thought of as possessing individual properties independently of the experimental arrangement. In the particular case of the pair of observables "position" and "momentum," the Heisenberg uncertainty relations can be considered as a generalization of the complementarity principle.

CRC Press eBooks•Mar 5, 2018•0 citations
Abstract One of the foundational principles of quantum mechanics is Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation. According to this relation, no one can measure both the position of a particle and how fast it is moving simultaneously no matter how precise the measuring instruments. Heisenberg’s uncertainty relation and the associated Bohr’s principle of complementarity are explained using simple examples. The idea that measurement disturbs the system is a source of the uncertainty. The philosophical question whether the uncertainty represents only our inability to measure the properties precisely or it has much deeper consequences related to the question of reality is also discussed.
The more scientists learned about the atom, the less categorical became the questions they put to nature. The uncertainty relation is a strict law of nature, which is in no way related to some imperfections of our devices. The uncertainty relation is directly opposed to intuition and everyday experience. Heisenberg explained the matter by discarding still another idealization of classical physics — the concept of observation. It turned out that in quantum mechanics it had to be revised, along with the concept of motion. The concepts of “phenomenon”, “measurement”, and “observation” are closely related to one another but they are by no means identical. Any measurement is essentially interaction between the instrument and the object to be studied. The principle that Bohr named complementarity is one of the most fundamental philosophical and scientific ideas of our time, which can only be compared to the principle of relativity and the concept of a physical field.
The quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum plays an important role in many treatments on the (philosophical, physical and other) implications of quantum mechanics. Roughly speaking, the more precisely the momentum (position) of a (quantum mechanical) object is given, the less precisely can one say what its position (momentum) is. This quantum mechanical measurement problem is not just an interpretational difficulty, it raises broader issues as well. The measurement (of a property) of a (quantum mechanical) object determines the existence of the measured. In brief, the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle challenges some fundamental principles of Science and especially the principle of causality. In particular, an independently existing (external) objective reality is denied. As we shall see, that the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum is based on the assumption that 1⩽0, which is a logical contradiction.
The quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum plays an important role in many treatments on the (philosophical, physical and other) implications of quantum mechanics. Roughly speaking, the more precisely the momentum (position) of a (quantum mechanical) object is given, the less precisely can one say what its position (momentum) is. This quantum mechanical measurement problem is not just an interpretational difficulty, it raises broader issues as well. The measurement (of a property) of a (quantum mechanical) object determines the existence of the measured. In brief, the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle challenges some fundamental principles of Science and especially the principle of causality. In particular, an independently existing (external) objective reality is denied. As we shall see, that the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle for position and momentum is based on the assumption that 1⩽0, which is a logical contradiction.
The principle of uncertainty is one of the essential principles of quantum mechanics as it outlines that there is a reflective limit to the measurement of microscopic particle motion. However it is impossible to measure at once and accurately both the position and momentum data of any microscopic particle no matter what means are used to do so. This paper starts by discussing the notion and mathematical derivation of the uncertainty principle as put forth by Heisenberg explaining the physical relevance of the principle. It introduces the natural uncertainty the principle introduces to the dynamics of particles in the microscopic world, and the significant part it plays in the theory of quantum mechanics. The article overviews the explanations of the principle on phenomena including atomic stability and scanning tunneling microscopes, and the interference of measurement actions on the states of particles and the shortcomings of measurement precision. According to the wave-particle duality of quantum mechanics, this article gives a required theoretical basis of microscopic phenomena. Likewise, the use of the research theory on the uncertainty principle by distinguished scholars in the physics fraternity helps the readers in achieving the knowledge in related subjects more easily.
One of the most striking deviations of quantum mechanics from classical mechanics is that any measurement of a microscopic system involves the interaction with the measuring instruments. The interaction cannot be neglected and in fact leads to uncontrollable disturbance on the system. In 1927, Werner Karl Heisenberg in his celebrated paper established the quantitative expression for unavoidable momentum disturbance caused by any position measurement. The crucial word here is simultaneously. The uncertainty relation gives the lower bound on the product of the uncertainties of two pairs of variables. But it says nothing about the accuracy with which individual observables can be measured. The physical meaning of energy-time uncertainty is different from that of x-px uncertainty. Position and momentum are observables to which Hermitian operators are assigned and which are measured at a particular time. An important implication of the uncertainty principle is that quantum systems do follow classical trajectories which conflict with our everyday experience.
One of the various interpretations of quantum mechanics occupies a privileged position in the opinion of the majority of physicists. This is the Copenhagen view, which owes its fame and popularity not only to historical reasons but also to its simplicity and practical efficiency. As is well known, the Copenhagen outlook was elaborated collectively. Nevertheless, Niels Bohr's and W. Heisenberg's contributions should be singled out as particularly outstanding. This chapter describes two principles, which are in fact the two pillars on which Bohr's doctrine is built. These are: The working of measuring instruments must be accounted for in purely classical terms . Another one is quantum systems that should not even be thought of as possessing individual properties independently of the experimental arrangement. In the particular case of the pair of observables "position" and "momentum," the Heisenberg uncertainty relations can be considered as a generalization of the complementarity principle.