Light and matter are both single entities, and the apparent duality arises in the limitations of our language. It is not surprising that our language should be incapable of describing the processes occurring within the atoms, for, as has been remarked, it was invented to describe the experiences of daily life, and these consist only of processes involving exceedingly large numbers of atoms. Furthermore, it is very difficult to modify our language so that it will be able to describe these atomic processes, for words can only describe things of which we can form mental pictures, and this ability, too, is a result of daily experience. Fortunately, mathematics is not subject to this limitation, and it has been possible to invent a mathematical scheme - the quantum theory - which seems entirely adequate for the treatment of atomic processes; for visualisation, however, we must content ourselves with two incomplete analogies - the wave picture and the corpuscular picture.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Heisenberg argues that language cannot fully describe atomic processes, but mathematics can, as it isn’t bound by everyday experience.
- In plain terms
- Words fail to capture atomic reality, while math can.
- What can you take from it?
- Mathematics provides a more accurate language for quantum phenomena than everyday speech.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How can we bridge language and mathematical description?
- What role do analogies play in teaching quantum physics?
Another view
The claim may underplay advances in visualizations and analogies that aid understanding.
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