indeterminacy principle

American  

noun

Physics.

1. uncertainty principle.

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indeterminacy principle British  

/ ˌɪndɪˈtɜːmɪnəsɪ /

noun

1. another name for uncertainty principle

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Etymology

Origin of indeterminacy principle

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

It may turn out, as some scientists suggest, that we are forever precluded from investigating consciousness by a sort of indeterminacy principle that stipulates that the very act of looking will make it twitch and blur out of sight.

From Literature

Heisenberg's outstanding contribution, for which he won the Nobel Prize at 31, was the formulation of the uncertainty, or indeterminacy principle.

From Time Magazine Archive

In 1927 Werner Heisenberg announced his famed Indeterminacy Principle, which holds that it is impossible to determine both the position and the velocity of an electron.

From Time Magazine Archive