Science
What is The uncertainty principle?
Heisenberg's uncertainty principle says you can't know both a particle's exact position and its exact momentum at the same time — the more precisely you measure one, the fuzzier the other becomes. It's a fundamental rule of the quantum world, not a measurement flaw.
See it, don’t just read it.
Watch a 2-minute lesson with voice + animation that explains the uncertainty principle.
Key things to understand
- 1You can't precisely know both position and momentum at once.
- 2Measuring one more precisely blurs the other.
- 3It's a fundamental feature of quantum physics.
- 4It reflects reality's nature, not poor instruments.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the uncertainty principle?
- A quantum rule that you cannot precisely know both a particle's position and momentum simultaneously.
- Why does the uncertainty principle exist?
- It's built into the wave-like nature of quantum particles, not a result of imperfect measurement.
- Who discovered the uncertainty principle?
- Physicist Werner Heisenberg, in 1927.