Quantum 101 Episode 3: Uncertainty in Quantum Mechanics

Before quantum mechanics, the laws of physics were thought to be completely deterministic. When quantum mechanics came along, everything changed.
This video discusses uncertainty as an essential property of the quantum world, one that makes quantum mechanics fundamentally different from what we call classical physics.
Join Katie Mack, Perimeter Institute’s Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication, over 10 short forays into the weird, wonderful world of quantum science. Episodes are published weekly, subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss an update.
Want to learn more about quantum concepts? Visit perimeterinstitute.ca/quantum... to access free resources.
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Perimeter Institute (charitable registration number 88981 4323 RR0001) is the world’s largest independent research hub devoted to theoretical physics, created to foster breakthroughs in the fundamental understanding of our universe, from the smallest particles to the entire cosmos. Be part of the equation: perimeterinstitute.ca/donate

[@peterz53]

Thanks. But music was intrusive

[@prasadrao2895]

I agree. I hope PI sees the comment and removes the music.

[@SsSs-dc4tv]

Wow, thank you so much! Wonderful series

[@KevinMakins]

This has been such an informative series. Thanks for the concise recap.

[@carinbondar520]

Katie Mack is an amazing scientist and science communicator!

[@davidhess6593]

Excellent! Thank you.

[@carljansen3118]

Being a regular pool player, I can concur, it's impossible to recreate a shot with all its spin and momentum exactly, there's always a tiny, almost quantum, difference. I like it 😁🎱❤

[@dukeallen432]

Quantum not reason for your poor play.

[@toastycrystaleclxpse3423]

​@@dukeallen432 because of quantum I got into a car accident

[@ganeshreddykomitireddy5128]

Uncertainty explanation is awesome 🎉

[@Pottery4Life]

Thank you.

[@paulfromt.o.7384]

Very nice.

[@flywitch26]

Thank you

[@johnwalz2832]

thank you, i feel less stupid now.

[@bimdinaudakara717]

I got more attached to the music than the theory.

[@Inquiring_Together]

Yes, the observer is the observed. Pretty profound. Notions of acceptance/rejection, like/dislike, me/you still form the structures of society. It’s understandable, who would have thought that the fundamental foundation of what holds this all together is- uncertainty? Perhaps one day, our political and economic systems can utilize such logic. Waves of economic strength and waves of policy execution. Always in movement, always in the direction of unconditional freedom.

[@schmetterling4477]

Why are you telling us that you weren't paying attention in school? ;-)

[@Mizraab2912]

What about Non-Demolition Measurements though?

[@schmetterling4477]

No such thing. That's just another misnomer by the quantum mystic crowd.

[@TXNYNOT]

SAX GOIN HARD BBY HE GOT SKILL

[@TXNYNOT]

do we have to relearn sciences yall

[@PeterMorganQF]

There are many of these HUP videos on KZbin. I cited four in a paper in Annals of Physics 2020, of which I still like this Sixty Symbols video best, kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKiqqqSAgrWgrKc (the time-frequency analysis is the most accessible, but this takes us a little into the more general applicability of Fourier analysis.) If we think about Fourier transforms of probability distributions, that gives us Hilbert spaces, noncommutativity, and a Generalized Probability Theory (we used to talk about GPTs until everybody else started talking about ChatGPT), all in a classically natural way. You also need Planck's constant, which brings in special relativity, but that can also be done in a classically natural way. The physics literature has now made classical and quantum much closer to each other than even ten years ago. You can see my KZbin channel for how I think that currently plays out.

[@schmetterling4477]

You are thinking about it all the wrong way. None of these mathematical statements tell you anything about physics.

[@bastiongardell9112]

The computational nanotechnology inside my body is doing this to me. What is it? Quantum Mechanics.

[@Feynman_Fries]

While I love this series and the host's way of interpreting everything complex phenomena into what can be easily understood, I'm afraid she probably miscued uncertainty principle when she explained it in terms of light affecting our measurement. That's the observer effect, not the uncertainty principle. Uncertainty in measurement is fundamental and intrinsic, rather than being an external influence. It's not that we "don't know how to measure things", it's that "universe does not allow measurement by nature."

[@schmetterling4477]

Measurement is simply irreversible energy exchange. The uncertainty of a single measurement has nothing to do with the uncertainty principle. One is caused by relativity, the other is a trivial mathematical lemma about certain types of linear operators that applies as well to the theory of acoustic waves as it applies in quantum mechanics. All of you are highly confused about these trivial matters.

[@Feynman_Fries]

@@schmetterling4477 if you ever made a video about measurements and uncertainty principle, you'd do more harm than good with so many jargons.

[@schmetterling4477]

@@Feynman_Fries Why would I have to make such a video? All of you are already completely confused about these matters. Why? Because none of you ever had to make a precision measurement and you don't know what that takes. :-) This is second year undergrad material, by the way. It's so trivial that we are spending like 15 minutes of a thermodynamics class on it. The only time I was ever asked about it in my career was during an interview. The guy asking was a EE... so even the better engineers know this stuff, even if they are only applying it to electrical measurements, but it's completely general an applies to all measurements. Dude, the DK is very strong in you. :-)

[@Feynman_Fries]

@@schmetterling4477 you won't make a video about it but you'd go about scavenging on comments made by random people telling them how it's a trivial thing? Is that how you try to make yourself feel important?

[@schmetterling4477]

@@Feynman_Fries I am simply looking for fools on the internet and then I am making fun of them. It's my hobby. ;-)

[@mmusya793]

God may not play dice but Chuck certainly does 😂. Like and respond if you know the reference 💯

[@paulb3151]

Ask Leonard hofstadter 🤣🤣.