uncertainty principle

noun

: a principle in quantum mechanics: it is impossible to discern simultaneously and with high accuracy both the position and the momentum of a particle (such as an electron)

called also Heisenberg uncertainty principle

Examples of uncertainty principle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because of the uncertainty principle, which states that a particle’s position and speed can’t be known precisely at the same time, this reduction in the electrons’ elbow room means their velocity must increase via a kind of seesawing of fundamental physical laws. —Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 14 May 2024

This indeterminism, along with the ambiguity inherent in the uncertainty principle, famously rankled Einstein, who fumed that God doesn’t play dice with the universe. —Zeeya Merali, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2023

Importantly, the distance between these two states (alive and dead or up and down) had to be greater than the distance ascribed to the quantum uncertainty principle, which the ETH Zurich scientists confirmed. —Lars Fischer, Scientific American, 12 May 2023

In an easy-to-read mix of memoir and science, Pang shows how viewing human behavior through a scientific lens can illuminate its mysteries — like using Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle to illustrate the paradox of living in the moment or using molecular dynamics to talk about crowds. —Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above