Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle

 

   Diving into the world of sub atomic particles we come across the most important concept of the "Uncertainty" introduced by WERNER HEISENBERG, one of the founders of the "Quantum Mechanics" in the year 1927. He proposed that the exact position and the velocity of  an object cannot be known simultaneously. The equation describes a relation between the position and velocity/momentum of a microscopic body such as an electron.

        
   Heisenberg said that when the precision of measuring one quantity increases then, the precision of measuring the other quantity decreases. Consequently it can be seen that if we try to measure the position of an electron then we cannot precisely find its velocity. It is because of the fact that to make any measurement we need to see the particle for which we need light, that is a quanta (photon) is required to be aimed at the specimen particle. When the photon hits the particle then it bounces the particle out of its orbit hence changing its position/location. One may argue that we may someday overcome this problem with advanced technology in measuring instruments. But it may be here emphasised that the limitation of uncertainty is not due to the limitation of the present day technology, rather a limitation in nature as we need light (photon) to see. It seems as if nature itself has limited us with the power and conceals some of its secrets.