Werner Heisenberg

German theoretical physicist and nobel prize winner (1901–1976)

0 members

Also known as Werner Karl Heisenberg, Heisenberg, Werner K. Heisenberg

Notable quotes

“The more precise the measurement of position, the more imprecise the measurement of momentum, and vice versa.”
— Initial statement of the Uncertainty principle in "Über den anschaulichen Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik und Mechanik" in Zeitschrift für Physik, 43 (1927)
“Quantum theory provides us with a striking illustration of the fact that we can fully understand a connection though we can only speak of it in images and parables.”
— Die Quantentheorie ist so ein wunderbares Beispiel dafür, daß man einen Sachverhalt in völliger Klarheit verstanden haben kann und gleichzeitig doch weiß, daß man nur in Bildern und Gleichnissen von ihm reden kann.
“An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes that can be made in his subject, and how to avoid them.”
— Ein Fachmann ist ein Mann, der einige der gröbsten Fehler kennt, die man in dem betreffenden Fach machen kann, und der sie deshalb zu vermeiden versteht.
“There is a fundamental error in separating the parts from the whole, the mistake of atomizing what should not be atomized. Unity and complementarity constitute reality.”
— Heisenberg's praise for Ruth Anshen's book Biography of An Idea found on the back cover—the book was published in 1986 after his death, but was the result of conversations over many years, including some with Heisenberg discussed starting on p. 39.
“After these conversations with Tagore some of the ideas that had seemed so crazy suddenly made much more sense. That was a great help for me.”
— On conversations with Rabindranath Tagore, as quoted in Uncommon Wisdom: Conversations With Remarkable People (1988) by Fritjof Capra, who states that after these "He began to see that the recognition of relativity, interconnectedness, and impermanence as fundamental aspects of physical reality, which had been so difficult for himself and his fellow physicists, was the very basis of the Indian spiritual traditions."
“We have to remember that what we observe is not nature herself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”
— This has also appeared in the alternate form: "What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning."

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Key facts

Occupation: theoretical physicist, mountaineer, non-fiction writer, university teacher
Citizenship: German Empire, Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, West Germany
Born: December 5, 1901
Died: February 1, 1976

On IJR

No public IJR answers mention Werner Heisenberg yet. As people ask about it and share their answers, they'll appear here.

Notable quotes

“The more precise the measurement of position, the more imprecise the measurement of momentum, and vice versa.”
— Initial statement of the Uncertainty principle in "Über den anschaulichen Inhalt der quantentheoretischen Kinematik und Mechanik" in Zeitschrift für Physik, 43 (1927)
“Quantum theory provides us with a striking illustration of the fact that we can fully understand a connection though we can only speak of it in images and parables.”
— Die Quantentheorie ist so ein wunderbares Beispiel dafür, daß man einen Sachverhalt in völliger Klarheit verstanden haben kann und gleichzeitig doch weiß, daß man nur in Bildern und Gleichnissen von ihm reden kann.
“An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes that can be made in his subject, and how to avoid them.”
— Ein Fachmann ist ein Mann, der einige der gröbsten Fehler kennt, die man in dem betreffenden Fach machen kann, und der sie deshalb zu vermeiden versteht.
“There is a fundamental error in separating the parts from the whole, the mistake of atomizing what should not be atomized. Unity and complementarity constitute reality.”
— Heisenberg's praise for Ruth Anshen's book Biography of An Idea found on the back cover—the book was published in 1986 after his death, but was the result of conversations over many years, including some with Heisenberg discussed starting on p. 39.
“After these conversations with Tagore some of the ideas that had seemed so crazy suddenly made much more sense. That was a great help for me.”
— On conversations with Rabindranath Tagore, as quoted in Uncommon Wisdom: Conversations With Remarkable People (1988) by Fritjof Capra, who states that after these "He began to see that the recognition of relativity, interconnectedness, and impermanence as fundamental aspects of physical reality, which had been so difficult for himself and his fellow physicists, was the very basis of the Indian spiritual traditions."
“We have to remember that what we observe is not nature herself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.”
— This has also appeared in the alternate form: "What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning."

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.