The physics is really a distraction when it comes to understanding the origin of the uncertainty principle. The uncertainty principle in physics is really due t

The physics is really a distraction when it comes to understanding the origin of the uncertainty principle. The uncertainty principle in physics is really due to the mathematics of whats called conjugate variables. Consider a particle moving through space. You observe the point particle at some instantaneous time. Since you've only observed one instance in time, the frequency content of the path the particle carves out could be anything. That is to say, the observed position is consistent with all possible frequencies so you can't rule anything out yet. As you expand the time window of your observation, the set of possible corresponding frequencies shrinks. The longer you observe, the more you can hone in on the frequency of the particle. It's like how astronomers have to observe an asteroid over a long period of time to be certain of its trajectory. But what if you asked where exactly the frequency f of the particle occurred? At what point was the frequency exactly f? The problem is you needed to observe the particle over a period of time to confidently determine the frequency f, and so you no longer can give a precise location of where f occurred. Frequency and position are conjugate variables: as you learn one more precisely, you necessarily lose precision in your knowledge of the other one.