Reply #11: Sounds like the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (Quantum Mechanics)

[BattyDem]

It says that it is possible to know the momentum or the position of a particle, but not both. So that means you couldn't measure both the movement along the X-axis and the position along the Y-axis at the same time. :crazy:


Interesting bit of trivia:
Because of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, the transporters on Star Trek would not be possible, so the show "invented" something called "Heisenberg Compensators" which "explain" how the transporters are able to work. I think it started with "The Next Generation". On the show, whenever there was a problem with the transporter, you'd often here Geordi or some other "yellow shirt" mention the "Heisenberg Compensators". Of course, they never explained how those compensators actually worked! :P