Werner+Heisenberg-+Theory+of+Quantum+Mechanics

Werner Heisenberg  http://ahyco.ffri.hr/Seminari2008/Povijest_fizike/8.jpg  Date of Death- ? Place of Origin- Würzburg, Germany. Year of Discovery-1925 ** Born in Germany to a professor of the Greek language, Werner Heisenberg attended Maximilian school at Munich until he graduated and enrolled in the University of Munich. It was there where he decided to study physics for several years, until 1922 when he traveled to Göttingen to broaden his studies. He switched back and forth from the University of Munich back to Göttingen to receive a Ph.D. Soon after, he traveled to the University of Copenhagen where at the age of 25, became Lecturer in Theoretical Physics. One year later, Heisenberg moved on and was appointed the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Leipzig. And as if it couldn’t get any better from there, in 1941, he became a Professor of Physics at the University of Berlin. But at the end of World War II, he and many other physicists were made prisoners by the American Army, but were released a year later.  But none of this happened before Heisenberg made his greatest contribution to Chemistry, if not all of science, the theory of quantum mechanics. Although there are many factors to this theory, none are better known than his Principle of Uncertainty. “The act of measuring one magnitude of a particle, be it its mass, its velocity, or its position, causes the other magnitudes to blur. This is not due to imprecise measurements. Technology is advanced enough to hypothetically yield correct measurements. The blurring of these magnitudes is a fundamental property of nature” (thebigview.com). What he said is that no matter what, it is simply impossible determine the position and momentum of a particle at any given point in time.
 * Date of Birth- December 5, 1901

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The electron cloud model of the atom came about through the efforts of several famous scientists overtime. Although Werner Heisenberg is mainly given the credit for this model, it can not go unsaid that it also came about through the efforts of Ernest Rutherford, Erwin Schrödinger, and Niels Bohr as well. Heisenberg’s electron cloud model came about after it became apparent that it was not possible to completely determine the exact position of an electron. Unlike previous models, the electron was not in fact on an orbit and could only be predicted through probability.

Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle states that it is “not possible to obtain precise values of both poison and momentum of a particle at the same time (website link at bottom).” The electron cloud model as shown below, represents his principle since the only way to find the location of an electron with in an atom is through the means of probability. Today, atom models that show electrons on an orbit around the nucleus are in fact not as accurate as the electron cloud model.

The Electron Cloud Model...



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If the image above doesn't help you understand the idea, try this clip from youtube to give you a better picture: []