An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A quantum mechanical principle due to Werner Heisenberg which states that the position and momentum of a particle cannot be determined simultaneously with any arbitrary accuracy. These quantities can be determined only with accuracies limited by the relation Δx.Δp ≥ (1/2)ħ, where Δx is the error in the determination of the position and Δp is the error in the momentum. A similar relation holds for the energy of a particle and the time, ΔE.Δt ≥ (1/2)ħ. Same as → Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

See also: → uncertainty; → principle.