Zero Point Energy doc
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| ZP OWER C ORPORATION PAGE OF 352 Z ERO P OINT E NERGY an average residual energy of Uncertainty Principle There is a quantum mechanical "reason" for this zero temperature fluctuation energy-the Uncertainty Principle. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of Quantum Mechanics states that it is not possible to precisely measure the position x and the momentum p=mv of a particle at the same time m is the mass of the particle and visits velocity. The accuracy of the position measurement x and the accuracy of the momentum measurement ap must obey the relation xap h. If there were no residual vibrational energy in the atoms in the block of matter to keep the nuclei in motion, then at TO K, the nucleus of each atom would be standing still ( v=O) and be right in the center of its cloud of electrons ( x=O), which would violate the Uncertainty Principle. Needless to say, many scientists (including Einstein) have tried hard to come up with an experiment in which the position and momentum of a particle is measured at the same time to an accuracy better than x p h. They all failed, and scientists are now pretty sure that the Uncertainty Principle is more than a "principle" it is a "law" of nature. There is a corollary to the position-momentum uncertainty pair that will be important later. The Uncertainty Principle also states that it is not possible to precisely measure the energy E of a particle in an infinitely short time t. The accuracy of the energy measurement E of a particle and the time interval it in which the energy measurement is made, have to obey the relation Eat2h. |