Definition of uncertainty principle in US English:
uncertainty principle
nounˌənˈsərtntē ˈprinsəpəl
Physics The principle that the momentum and position of a particle cannot both be precisely determined at the same time.
Example sentencesExamples
- This assumption is made by the hidden-variable theories that have been advanced as alternatives to quantum mechanics and the uncertainty principle.
- In addition, the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics prevents speculation on times shorter than 10-43 seconds after the big bang.
- It turns out to be a basic consequence of the two basic principles of quantum theory, the uncertainty principle and the superposition principle.
- For Bohr, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is an ontological principle of indeterminacy; for Bohm, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is an epistemological principle of ignorance.
- Subject to the limitations of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, the advancement of atomic physics and quantum physics allowed increasingly accurate descriptions of complex atoms.