# Need Help Understanding a Quantum Mechanics Equation

1. Apr 23, 2012

### Bootsie

2. Apr 23, 2012

### HallsofIvy

Staff Emeritus
That says that you can measure the position of an object as accurately as you please ($\Delta x$ is the "error" in measuring the position) or you can measure the momentum as accurately as you please ($\Delta p$ is the "error" in measuring momentum) but you cannot measure both any more accurately than given by that equation.

3. Apr 23, 2012

### Mark M

Bootsie, welcome to PF!

The equation you have there is the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. The term Δx refers to the uncertainty on the part of an observer on a particle's positions, and Δp refers to the observers uncertainty about a particle's momentum.

Essentially, the equation says that the more definite a particle's position, the less you can know about it's momentum - and vice versa. It can be generalized to any attributes of a particle, the HUP essentially states that a particle can never have definite properties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle

EDIT: Looks like HallsofIvy beat me to it.