Need Help Understanding a Quantum Mechanics Equation

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Bootsie
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Can anyone please help me understand this equation and explain it to me?


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That says that you can measure the position of an object as accurately as you please ([itex]\Delta x[/itex] is the "error" in measuring the position) or you can measure the momentum as accurately as you please ([itex]\Delta p[/itex] is the "error" in measuring momentum) but you cannot measure both any more accurately than given by that equation.
 
Bootsie said:
Can anyone please help me understand this equation and explain it to me?
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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.