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Heisenberg is remembered for his theorem on quantum observation being necessarily incomplete. It's not terribly surprising to find he had a perspective-seeking

by sesqu 10y ago

Heisenberg is remembered for his theorem on quantum observation being necessarily incomplete. It's not terribly surprising to find he had a perspective-seeking approach in other matters.

Jugurtha 10y ago
Pardon me but, can you elaborate? What do you mean by "Heisenberg is remembered for his theorem on quantum observation being necessarily incomplete"? And how does that make him a "perspective-seeker"?
- sesqu 10y ago
  I was referring to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that there is an upper limit to the combined precision of a particle's position and momentum. Bohr's take on this was that the limit is due to these concepts being a poor approximation of actual quantum mechanics, which would fit the scientific eminence co-existing with devout religious beliefs in Heisenberg. I am no physicist, nor am I well versed in Heisenberg's life, but the quotes in the link suggest to me that he has spent a large amount of time pondering ethics, unseen causality, and attributed intent. That is what I meant by seeking perspective.
  - Jugurtha 10y ago
    >I was referring to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle Now I see.. I only took a few physics courses and mostly associate his name when using the inequality, i.e what I think of when I read "uncertainty principle" (also, doing time-frequency signal processing/analysis). I was thrown off by the expression "quantum observation" because I thought you were talking about the observer effect, something that didn't really make me think of him. Maybe we can chalk it up to cultural differences, but we've never called it like that here (it was always "Heisenberg's uncertainty principle"). >the quotes in the link suggest to me that he has spent a large amount of time pondering ethics, unseen causality, and attributed intent. That is what I meant by seeking perspective. Indeed. I also think this is the case for the others, too. What's impressive was his almost forensic approach. His remarks read more like an autopsy than someone being in the situation he was in.
    - sesqu 10y ago
      > I was thrown off by the expression "quantum observation" because I thought you were talking about the observer effect I admit that the observer effect was the first thing that sprang to mind when I was thinking of how the uncertainty principle was stated. That's probably why I worded it so poorly. > His remarks read more like an autopsy than someone being in the situation he was in. Seeing as how all this took place soon after the war, I imagine he may have considered it something of a post-mortem.

by sesqu 10y ago

Heisenberg is remembered for his theorem on quantum observation being necessarily incomplete. It's not terribly surprising to find he had a perspective-seeking approach in other matters.

Jugurtha 10y ago

Pardon me but, can you elaborate? What do you mean by "Heisenberg is remembered for his theorem on quantum observation being necessarily incomplete"? And how does that make him a "perspective-seeker"?

sesqu 10y ago
I was referring to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, which states that there is an upper limit to the combined precision of a particle's position and momentum. Bohr's take on this was that the limit is due to these concepts being a poor approximation of actual quantum mechanics, which would fit the scientific eminence co-existing with devout religious beliefs in Heisenberg. I am no physicist, nor am I well versed in Heisenberg's life, but the quotes in the link suggest to me that he has spent a large amount of time pondering ethics, unseen causality, and attributed intent. That is what I meant by seeking perspective.
- Jugurtha 10y ago
  >I was referring to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle Now I see.. I only took a few physics courses and mostly associate his name when using the inequality, i.e what I think of when I read "uncertainty principle" (also, doing time-frequency signal processing/analysis). I was thrown off by the expression "quantum observation" because I thought you were talking about the observer effect, something that didn't really make me think of him. Maybe we can chalk it up to cultural differences, but we've never called it like that here (it was always "Heisenberg's uncertainty principle"). >the quotes in the link suggest to me that he has spent a large amount of time pondering ethics, unseen causality, and attributed intent. That is what I meant by seeking perspective. Indeed. I also think this is the case for the others, too. What's impressive was his almost forensic approach. His remarks read more like an autopsy than someone being in the situation he was in.
  - sesqu 10y ago
    > I was thrown off by the expression "quantum observation" because I thought you were talking about the observer effect I admit that the observer effect was the first thing that sprang to mind when I was thinking of how the uncertainty principle was stated. That's probably why I worded it so poorly. > His remarks read more like an autopsy than someone being in the situation he was in. Seeing as how all this took place soon after the war, I imagine he may have considered it something of a post-mortem.