Explanation for uncertainty principal?

scijeebus
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Although the uncertainty principal can be written without quantum harmonic oscillators, it still happens when you consider them. Can the reason for the uncertainty principal be explained in terms of changing the equation?
If I have a completely undetermined momentum, I should have something like a sine wave who's maximum probability extends evenly and infinitely through space but still totals 1. But, if I begin to constrict the momentum more precisely by adding different probable frequencies, the shape changes from something that should look relatively monotonous to something that actually has more uneven "lumps" or more visibly defined maximums and minimums due to the fact that the probability still has to total 1. I can't figure out exactly why that step happens, but can it be generally explained like this?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Not an expert in QM. AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is quite different from the classical wave equation. The former is an equation for the dynamics of the state of a (quantum?) system, the latter is an equation for the dynamics of a (classical) degree of freedom. As a matter of fact, Schrödinger's equation is first order in time derivatives, while the classical wave equation is second order. But, AFAIK, Schrödinger's equation is a wave equation; only its interpretation makes it non-classical...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
Is it possible, and fruitful, to use certain conceptual and technical tools from effective field theory (coarse-graining/integrating-out, power-counting, matching, RG) to think about the relationship between the fundamental (quantum) and the emergent (classical), both to account for the quasi-autonomy of the classical level and to quantify residual quantum corrections? By “emergent,” I mean the following: after integrating out fast/irrelevant quantum degrees of freedom (high-energy modes...

Similar threads

Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
15
Views
2K
Replies
20
Views
2K
Replies
12
Views
2K
Replies
6
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
2K
Back
Top