Uncertainty of a 50g Ball's Position: What Does It Mean?

[jaidon]

i have a question where it asks me to find the uncertainty in a ball's postion (m=50g). i have that part all figured out, but then it asks me what the answer indicates about the relevance of quantum mechanics to macroscopic objects. (the answer was approx. 10^-32m, a very small uncertainty). i am having troubles understanding this. I'm not sure what to do. i know that HUP in general says that we can't know with certainty both the position and momentum of a particle at the same time, and the equation
(delta x)(delta p) >h/4pi.

i'm not sure where to go with this. any advice?

 

[dextercioby]

What's the typical range of macroscopic objects...?In "m".Compare that value with the uncertainty u found...

Daniel.

 

[jaidon]

so the size of macroscopic objects is much larger than what the uncertainty in their positions. I'm not sure what this means in regards to quantum mechanics. i find quantum physics so confusing and i highly respect anyone who understands and enjoys it.

 

[dextercioby]

So QM has given u a number which is about 27 order of magnitude off the realms of macroscopical physics.The conclusion is simple:QM and the HUP in particular give nonsignificative results when applied to macroscopic objects.

Daniel.

 

[jaidon]

this is probably a stupid question, but what exactly qualifies as macroscopic ie)what is the actual range?

also, i get the question now. it was much simpler than what i was trying to make it out to be. thanks for the imput. you physics guys rock.