- #1
daleklama
- 33
- 0
Homework Statement
Assume speed of 435g football is known with 1mm/s uncertainty.
What is the minimum uncertainty in its position?
Homework Equations
I'm not quite sure... I know p=mv, and I know that Heisenberg's uncertainty principle states that certain parameters of quantum particles cannot be measured/known at the same time without uncertainty.
When I did a previous example, I used the formula:
dx ≥ h/(4∏mdu)
where dx = uncertainty in position
h = Plancks constant
m = mass in kg
du = uncertainty in velocity
The Attempt at a Solution
Well I was trying to do it using the formula given above, but there are a couple of things I don't understand.
i) How do I find du?
I previously found du by multiplying the speed (given in question) by the uncertainty, which was in percentage form.
How do I find du now? I'm not actually GIVEN a speed, and I don't quite know what to make of "1mm/s uncertainty." Is that 0.001%, which would be 0.00001, or...?
Thanks :)