Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

Alicia Sometimes

The reality we can put into words is never reality itself

we cannot measure
the position (x) and the momentum (p)
of a particle with absolute precision

as the chances of predicting position rise
the chances of knowing momentum falls

waves—disturbances spread out in space

if a wave with a measurable position
is collapsed onto a single point
on an indeterminate wavelength
it will have indefinite momentum

if a wave with measurable momentum
has a wavelength oscillating infinitely
it will have an indefinite position

binding interconnection
conjugate variables:
energy/time/velocity/momentum/mass
linked relationships

we can determine your speed
when you ran your fingers through your hair
on the long drive home

but not the pressure of the guitar calluses
as you gripped onto the wheel of a rusty-hulled car

our everyday life much larger 
than Planck’s constant

such small scales: wave-like/particle-like
distilled action always extending

if you are the electron—

you can either know where you are
or where you are going but not both

quantum particles elaborating on                    

randomness

The Science

I've been putting a collection of poetry together on many aspects of quantum physics and even though this title is 'Heisenberg's uncertainty principle' it is a poetic take on the physics behind it. I wanted to look at the science of particle uncertainty and touch on the uncertainty of our lives too.

The Poet

Alicia Sometimes is an Australian poet, writer and broadcaster. She has performed her spoken word and poetry at many venues, festivals and events around the world. Her poems have been in Best Australian Science Writing, Best Australian Poems, and more. She is director and co-writer of the art/science planetarium shows, ‘Elemental and Particle/Wave’. She is currently a Science Gallery Melbourne ‘Leonardo’ (creative advisor). Her TedxUQ talk in 2019 was about the passion of combining art with science.

Next poem: Is there a place for me here? by Liz Wyman