Il principio di indeterminazione

To account for the meaning of the uncertainty principle, it is used to say that “observation perturbs the phenomenon.” In its icasticity, the phrase tells us that of an elementary particle we cannot know so many things at once and with great precision, but must choose: either its position in space or its velocity, or its energy or the exact moment it is at. These quantities can be known, yes, but not simultaneously. So let us try to understand it better, helped by an exceptional guide, the formula devised by Heisenberg in 1927: a set of a few symbols, a great revolution in quantum physics, the results of which-from transistors to lasers-are all around us every day.