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'''Werner Karl Heisenberg''' (December 5, 1901- – February 1, 1976) was a [[German]] physicist and [[Nobel]] laureate (1932), most credited with the discovery of [[quantum mechanics]], in 1925. Heisenberg proposed that it is impossible to assign to an electron a position in space at a given time or follow it precisely in its orbit. Heisenberg thereby challenged the model of subatomic particles that was based on planetary orbits. Instead, Heisenberg suggested that mechanical quantities like position and velocity are better represented, not by ordinary [[commutative]] [[number]]s, but by non-commutative mathematical objects called [[matrix|matrices]].
Heisenberg formulated a famous principle that now bears his name: The [[Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle]] (1927), one of the central principles of modern [[physics]]. This principle states that the determination of the position and momentum of a mobile particle always contains errors which, when multiplied, cannot be less than the quantum constant h. These errors are negligible in most of ordinary life but not only significant in the study of subatomic particles. Quantum theory is essential for a valid description of molecules including pharmaceuticals as well as for the description of physical properties (electrical conductivity, magnetism, ...) of solids, in particular semiconductors. Some modern equipment, such as computer chips, lasers or the scanning tunneling microscope, take advantage of effects, which can only be understood through quantum theory.
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[[Category:Physicists]]
[[Category:German People]]
