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Topic: Need help with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle please  (Read 1529 times)

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Offline lacyrm123

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Need help with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle please
« on: February 07, 2015, 06:23:18 PM »
Hello everyone! I'm trying to tackle a chemistry problem right now and I don't know if I'm doing it right. Can someone tell me if I'm doing it right or wrong, please? :)

"The speed of an electron has an uncertainty of +/- 1.0x10^-3 m/s, with a mass of 9.109x10^-31 kg. What is the minimum uncertainty in position for this case?"

So my formula is: (Delta P) x (Delta X) > h/4(pi)

So far I have this:
(9.109x10^-31 kg) x (1.0x10^-3 m/s) x (Delta X) > (5.283x10^-35)

(9.109x10^-34) x (Delta X) > (5.283x10^-35)

(Delta X) > (5.79x10^-2)

Is 5.79x10^-2 the correct answer? If not, what did I do wrong in my math?
Thank you!

Offline mjc123

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Re: Need help with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle please
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2015, 06:07:21 PM »
It is not the correct answer because it is a number. The correct answer is a quantity with units.

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