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Werner Heisenberg Quotes
Werner Heisenberg Quotes
Werner Heisenberg
German
Physicist
Born:
Dec 5
,
1901
Died:
Feb 1
,
1976
Nature
Science
Time
War
Work
Would
Related authors:
Albert Einstein
Gerhard Herzberg
Hans Adolf Krebs
Hermann von Helmholtz
Karl Ferdinand Braun
Klaus Fuchs
Walther Bothe
Wolfgang Ketterle
What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.
Werner Heisenberg
Nature
Our
Observe
Method
Questioning
Itself
Exposed
Natural science, does not simply describe and explain nature; it is part of the interplay between nature and ourselves.
Werner Heisenberg
Nature
Science
Natural
Ourselves
Part
Simply
Between
Does
Explain
Natural Science
Describe
Every word or concept, clear as it may seem to be, has only a limited range of applicability.
Werner Heisenberg
Word
Every
Range
Seem
Only
Clear
Concept
Limited
May
Certainly, in the course of time, the splendid things will separate from the hateful.
Werner Heisenberg
Time
Will
Hateful
Splendid
Course
Separate
Certainly
Things
It is true that in quantum theory we cannot rely on strict causality. But by repeating the experiments many times, we can finally derive from the observations statistical distributions, and by repeating such series of experiments, we can arrive at objective statements concerning these distributions.
Werner Heisenberg
Strict
Finally
Statements
We Cannot
Statistical
Objective
Rely
Observations
True
Concerning
Quantum
Causality
Arrive
Repeating
Times
Cannot
Experiments
Derive
Theory
Many
Series
It is seen that both matter and radiation possess a remarkable duality of character, as they sometimes exhibit the properties of waves, at other times those of particles. Now, it is obvious that a thing cannot be a form of wave motion and composed of particles at the same time - the two concepts are too different.
Werner Heisenberg
Time
Character
Sometimes
Matter
Seen
Too
Other
Wave
Waves
Possess
Those
Composed
Properties
Both
Remarkable
Particles
Concepts
Obvious
Duality
Motion
Exhibit
Times
Same
Same Time
Different
Form
Cannot
Radiation
Now
Thing
Two
The German physicists knew at least so much about the manufacture and construction of atomic bombs that it was clear to them that the manufacture of bombs in Germany could not succeed during the war. For this reason, they were spared the moral decision whether they should make an atomic bomb, and they had only worked on the uranium engine.
Werner Heisenberg
War
Construction
Decision
Moral
About
Atomic
Atomic Bomb
Only
Physicists
Could
Had
Clear
Knew
Make
Least
Were
German
Germany
Whether
Uranium
Succeed
Them
Spared
Worked
Much
Should
Engine
Manufacture
Reason
Bomb
Bombs
The uncertainty principle refers to the degree of indeterminateness in the possible present knowledge of the simultaneous values of various quantities with which the quantum theory deals; it does not restrict, for example, the exactness of a position measurement alone or a velocity measurement alone.
Werner Heisenberg
Alone
Knowledge
Measurement
Values
Degree
Example
Possible
Restrict
Uncertainty
Various
Simultaneous
Velocity
For Example
Principle
Quantities
Quantum
Does
Deals
Which
Theory
Present
Position
Bohr's influence on the physics and the physicists of our century was stronger than that of anyone else, even than that of Albert Einstein.
Werner Heisenberg
Physics
Stronger
Else
Our
Physicists
Than
Influence
Anyone
Anyone Else
Einstein
Century
Even
Albert
Albert Einstein
I would like to mention astrophysics; in this field, the strange properties of the pulsars and quasars, and perhaps also the gravitational waves, can be considered as a challenge.
Werner Heisenberg
Strange
Challenge
Field
Waves
Considered
Would
Properties
Mention
Like
Perhaps
Also
Gravitational
In America, it was decided to attempt the production of atomic bombs with an effort that would constitute a large part of the collective American war effort. In Germany, an effort one thousandth the scale of the American was applied to the problem of producing atomic energy that would drive engines.
Werner Heisenberg
War
Problem
Collective
Drive
Energy
Scale
Would
Constitute
Atomic
Atomic Energy
Attempt
Part
Germany
Effort
America
American
Decided
War Effort
Producing
Production
Engines
Large
Large Part
Bombs
Applied
I would say that I was absolutely convinced of the possibility of our making an uranium engine, but I never thought that we would make a bomb; and at the bottom of my heart, I was really glad that it was to be an engine and not a bomb.
Werner Heisenberg
Heart
Thought
Our
Say
Possibility
Would
Glad
Absolutely
Never
Bottom
Make
Making
Uranium
Really
Convinced
Engine
Bomb
The violent reaction on the recent development of modern physics can only be understood when one realises that here the foundations of physics have started moving; and that this motion has caused the feeling that the ground would be cut from science.
Werner Heisenberg
Science
Physics
Feeling
Would
Would-Be
Only
Development
Reaction
Motion
Understood
Caused
Modern
Moving
Cut
Ground
Foundations
Here
Started
Recent
Violent
One may say that in a state of science where fundamental concepts have to be changed, tradition is both the condition for progress and a hindrance. Hence, it usually takes a long time before the new concepts are generally accepted.
Werner Heisenberg
Time
Science
Progress
Long
Long Time
Before
Changed
State
Say
Both
Generally
Takes
New
Concepts
Hindrance
Accepted
Tradition
Condition
May
Where
Hence
Fundamental
Reports in Washington show that our reasoning was just like that of your physicists. With all this information available, at least to privileged persons, I cannot understand why it is generally held in the United States that we completely missed the basic principle of the bomb until after Hiroshima.
Werner Heisenberg
Our
States
Physicists
Generally
Missed
Like
Until
Principle
Understand
Least
Hiroshima
Privileged
Reports
Just
After
Cannot
Information
Available
Persons
Held
Your
Show
Reasoning
Washington
United
Bomb
Why
United States
Basic
There is a great difference between discoveries and inventions. With discoveries, one can always be skeptical, and many surprises can take place. In the case of inventions, surprises can really only occur for people who have not had anything to do with it.
Werner Heisenberg
Great
People
Case
Only
Inventions
Take
Had
Between
Always
Occur
Surprises
Discoveries
Difference
Anything
Place
Skeptical
Really
Who
Many
I believe this uranium business will give the Anglo-Saxons such tremendous power that Europe will become a bloc under Anglo-Saxon domination. If that is the case, it will be a very good thing. I wonder whether Stalin will be able to stand up to the others as he has done in the past.
Werner Heisenberg
Good
Business
Will
Power
Become
Past
Believe
Others
Tremendous
Able
Case
Give
Anglo-Saxon
Good Thing
He
Up
Very
Wonder
Domination
Done
In The Past
Whether
Uranium
Stalin
Stand
Stand Up
Europe
Thing
The Anglo-Americans want the balance of power in Eurasia. The only balance of power they can achieve now is the whole of Europe against Russia. The only choice for us is either to join this Western European bloc or join in with Russia.
Werner Heisenberg
Balance
Achieve
Power
Russia
Only
Join
Balance Of Power
Western
Want
Either
Against
Us
Choice
Europe
European
Whole
Now
I think that if a United States of Europe were to be formed, it would be in our interests to fight for it, as all our old traditions would remain in such a united Europe, whereas if we were to start now as part of the Russian Empire, everything that had ever been in Germany would disappear.
Werner Heisenberg
Fight
Old
Think
Our
Everything
States
Would
Would-Be
Russian
Remain
Had
Part
Disappear
Empire
Were
Been
Traditions
Germany
Whereas
Formed
Interests
Europe
Now
United
Ever
United States
Start
In 1924, I became a Dozent in Gottingen and worked out the quantum mechanics during a holiday stay on Heligoland.
Werner Heisenberg
Out
Stay
Became
Quantum
Quantum Mechanics
Holiday
Worked
Mechanics
For Germany, the war was like an end game in chess in which she possessed one castle less than her adversary. The loss of the war was as certain as the loss of an end game under these conditions.
Werner Heisenberg
War
Game
Possessed
Castle
Like
Adversary
She
Chess
Loss
Conditions
End
Germany
Than
Which
Certain
Less
Her
If we made atomic bombs, we would bring about a terrible change in the world. Who knows what would happen from this?
Werner Heisenberg
Change
World
Made
Would
About
Atomic
Terrible
Knows
Happen
Who
Bombs
Bring
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