Practice question · True or false
According to quantum mechanics, a particle always has a definite position and a definite momentum, and the uncertainty principle merely says we cannot measure both at once.
Hints
- Ask whether the principle is about our knowledge or about the particle itself.
- The lesson calls it a fundamental limit of nature.
Show the answer
False
Why
False. The uncertainty principle is not a statement about measurement clumsiness or hidden knowledge: position and momentum cannot both have precise values simultaneously. Treating it as ignorance of pre-existing values is the most common misreading of the whole theory.
Practise Introduction to Modern Physics
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More questions on Introduction to Modern Physics
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