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Chapter 4: Q9CQ (page 133)

Question: A classmate studies Figures 12 and 17, then claims that when a spot appears, its location simultaneously establishes the particle’s -component of momentum, according to the angle from center, and its position (i.e., at the spot). How do you answer this claim?

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer:

We are unable to concurrently measure location and momentum because the detecting procedure changes the momentum of the particle (uncertainty principle).

Step by step solution

01

Uncertainty relation

Mathematically, the uncertainty relation can be stated asΔxΔp⩾h2 .

02

Explanation 

The Heisenberg uncertainty principle is a basic tenet of nature and is not only an issue of experimental scope. You have just altered the particle's momentum as a result of the detecting procedure as the particle position on the detector is determined.

Therefore, it is impossible to estimate the location without affecting the particle's momentum. We always have a limited uncertainty associated with the position measurement since it doesn't provide us with the precise location of the particle.

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