## complementarity in the uncertainty principle

$\Delta p \Delta x\geq \frac{h}{4\pi }$

Kimberly Koo 2I
Posts: 99
Joined: Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:17 am

### complementarity in the uncertainty principle

Hi, I was reading the textbook and it says that complementarity if the impossibility of knowing the precise position of a particle even if the linear momentum is known since momentum and location can't be known at the same time. I'm still a bit confused on why momentum and location can't be known at the same time, could someone please explain this more? Thanks!

Haley Fredricks 1B
Posts: 53
Joined: Sat Aug 24, 2019 12:16 am
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### Re: complementarity in the uncertainty principle

Because the indeterminacy equation states that the product of the indeterminacy of momentum and the indeterminacy in position of an electron is equal to or greater than a constant value, it is impossible to have small values of indeterminacy for both the momentum and the position. Just like in the example he gave in class of an electron being confined to the space within the nucleus of an atom, knowing almost exactly the position of an electron means that the indeterminacy of the momentum will be huge and therefore not conclusive, and vice versa.