Uncertainty Principle

The Uncertainty Principle, formulated by Werner Heisenberg in 1927, states that certain pairs of physical properties cannot be simultaneously measured with arbitrary precision. The most famous example is the impossibility of precisely measuring both a particle's position and momentum simultaneously—the more accurately we measure one, the less accurately we can know the other. This is not merely a limitation of measurement techniques but a fundamental feature of quantum systems. The mathematical formulation involves the product of uncertainties having a lower bound related to Planck's constant. Beyond physics, this principle serves as a broader metaphor for inherent limitations in knowledge and the observer effect—the act of measurement inevitably alters what is being measured—with applications in fields ranging from economics to social sciences.