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THE UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE |
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At the heart of quantum mechanics—the mathematical theory of the structure and behavior of atoms—lies a certain degree of unpredictability. As first stated by the German physicist Werner Heisenberg, the uncertainty principle says you can't simultaneously measure both the position and velocity of a particle with perfect accuracy. This means that no one can ever predict precisely the future behavior of a particle because it’s impossible to measure the particle’s current state exactly. The uncertainty principle does not simply state that scientists don’t yet have the proper equipment to measure positions and velocities: instead, the very process of performing the measurement changes those quantities. The uncertainty principle implies that space can never truly be empty. In reality, the quantum vacuum is filled with particles and antiparticles that briefly appear and then disappear just as quickly. |
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