> However, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the motion can’t go exactly to zero—there will always be fluctuations.
Is that what it dictates? I thought it was about observation (in the sense of interactions with other particles, noting to do with consciousness) inescapably and unpredictably altering the observed property.
No it does not dictate such. And you’re describing “the observer effect.”
Heisenberg says the more accurately you measure one property, the less accurately you can measure a second [related] property. The usual property pair used in explaining the principle are position and momentum.
> Heisenberg says the more accurately you measure one property, the less accurately you can measure a second [related] property.
mmm you've redescribed what the parent post was saying.
Heisenberg's principal is about the _knowability_ and not the measurement. So it's fundamental regardless of whether you measure it or not.
This is why it's impossible to cool something to absolute zero. Because fundamentally, it's position is becoming knowable, so it gains momentum, regardless if it's being measured or not.
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle says that in no state is the product of the standard deviations of what would be measured if you measured position, and what would be measured if you measured momentum, less than hbar or hbar/2 or something like that (I forget the exact constant. It is on the order of hbar.).
As such, if the position uncertainty isn't infinite, the momentum uncertainty is nonzero.
Common misconception, probably because it's the one that gets repeated the most/easiest to understand. It's more fundamental than measurement, observation.
Star gate zero point modules incoming?
> However, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle dictates that the motion can’t go exactly to zero—there will always be fluctuations.
Is that what it dictates? I thought it was about observation (in the sense of interactions with other particles, noting to do with consciousness) inescapably and unpredictably altering the observed property.
No it does not dictate such. And you’re describing “the observer effect.”
Heisenberg says the more accurately you measure one property, the less accurately you can measure a second [related] property. The usual property pair used in explaining the principle are position and momentum.
> Heisenberg says the more accurately you measure one property, the less accurately you can measure a second [related] property.
mmm you've redescribed what the parent post was saying.
Heisenberg's principal is about the _knowability_ and not the measurement. So it's fundamental regardless of whether you measure it or not.
This is why it's impossible to cool something to absolute zero. Because fundamentally, it's position is becoming knowable, so it gains momentum, regardless if it's being measured or not.
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle says that in no state is the product of the standard deviations of what would be measured if you measured position, and what would be measured if you measured momentum, less than hbar or hbar/2 or something like that (I forget the exact constant. It is on the order of hbar.).
As such, if the position uncertainty isn't infinite, the momentum uncertainty is nonzero.
Common misconception, probably because it's the one that gets repeated the most/easiest to understand. It's more fundamental than measurement, observation.
PBS Spacetime has something on it[0].
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izqaWyZsEtY
"What ACTUALLY Happens at the Planck Length?" (Physics Explained)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3jhbui5Cqs
The math sifts out in some hilarious ways. =3