Violation of uncertainty principle?

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the violation of the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics, specifically regarding the behavior of electrons emitted from an electron gun. It is established that if an electron's momentum is known with absolute certainty, the uncertainty in its position becomes infinite, contradicting the assumption that one can determine its exact location. The key takeaway is that quantum uncertainty relates to predictability and probability, not to the precision of a single measurement. The standard deviation formula for position uncertainty is highlighted as a critical concept in understanding this principle.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of quantum mechanics principles
  • Familiarity with the uncertainty principle
  • Knowledge of momentum eigenstates
  • Basic statistics, specifically standard deviation
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the implications of the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics
  • Explore the concept of momentum eigenstates in detail
  • Learn about probability distributions in quantum mechanics
  • Investigate the mathematical formulation of standard deviation in quantum contexts
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, quantum mechanics researchers, and anyone interested in the foundational principles of quantum uncertainty and its implications in particle behavior.

AlonsoMcLaren
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Suppose I have an electron gun that shoots electron with momentum p (no uncertainty) at t=0, then at t=t0 I can calculate the exact location of my electron, with no uncertainty.

Violation of uncertainty principle?
 
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If there is no uncertainty in the momentum of the electron, then your gun will need to have an infinitely wide barrel.
 
AlonsoMcLaren said:
Suppose I have an electron gun that shoots electron with momentum p (no uncertainty) at t=0, then at t=t0 I can calculate the exact location of my electron, with no uncertainty.

Violation of uncertainty principle?

A single measurement of the position tells you nothing about its uncertainty. Only if you make many measurements of position, and always get the same location, can you say there is no uncertainty in position. Quantum uncertainty is about predictability, not about an exact measurement. What we call the "uncertainty" in quantum mechanics is called the "standard deviation" in ordinary statistics:
The uncertainty in position is [tex]\Delta x = \sqrt {\left\langle {\left( {x - \left\langle x \right\rangle } \right)^2 } \right\rangle }[/tex]

If you know the momentum with no uncertainty (meaning that when you repeatedly measure momentum, you always get the same momentum value), then you cannot "calculate the exact location of my electron". Your assumption that you can do so is incorrect. In quantum mechanics, we can only calculate the probability of finding the electron at a particular location when we measure its position. If the electron is known to be in a momentum eigenstate, as in your example, the calculated uncertainty in position is infinite, not zero as you suggest! Quantum mechanics predicts an equal probability of finding the electron anywhere. If we do your experiment many times, each position measurement will most likely find the electron at a different location. There is no violation of the uncertainty principle.
 

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