heisenberg cut
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.82 in modern English
21
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
3
Syllables
11
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A conceptualised division separating the quantum system being observed from the classical system that comprises the observer's information, knowledge and conscious awareness.
Example Sentences
- "The original "Copenhagen" way of describing the collapse process was tied to a mysterious thing called the "Heisenberg cut". Everything lying "below" this cut was supposed to be described in the mathematical language of quantum mechanics, whereas everything lying "above" the cut was described either in the language of classical physics, or in psychological or mental terms.[…]A principal move made by von Neumann was to show that the Heisenberg cut could be moved all the way up, so that reality was unambiguously separated into a purely mental part, and a part described in the mathematical language of quantum mechanics."
- "Another idea is to question the impermeability of the Heisenberg cut: Is the separation between the macro and micro worlds really as sharp as Heisenberg and Bohr assumed?"
- "The location of the Heisenberg cut is arbitrary, but it must be at a point where classical physics assuredly holds."
Etymology
Named after Werner Heisenberg, who contributed to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, and specifically to the theory of wavefunction collapse.
Inflected Forms
Heisenberg cuts (plural)
Heisenberg's cut (alternative)