Conceptual Confusion

[Katie L 2I]

I'm having some trouble relating the concept of Uncertainty to electrons and their movement between energy levels, as well as relating it to the change in equation from 4π and 2 as the denominator. Can someone explain? thank you!

[Nadia Nichol]

From my understanding Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle implies that we can't precisely know both the position and momentum of electrons in atoms. Electrons exhibit wave-particle duality and follow quantized energy levels, with 2 and 4π often appearing in related equations. This principle underscores the inherent uncertainty in quantum physics and electron behavior.

[306001327]

The 4pi in the equation was derived and experimentally determined by Heisenberg. The derivation of the Heisenberg formula isn’t going to be super important for this course, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much. The Heisenberg principle just shows that you cannot determine an electron's speed and position at the same time. Another way of putting it would be watching a car on a highway. You could either watch to see the cars position, or you could see how fast it goes when it passes you. However, it would be hard to know how fast its going and exactly where it is at the same time.