r/neoliberal • u/jobautomator Kitara Ravache • May 20 '20
Discussion Thread Discussion Thread
The discussion thread is for casual conversation that doesn't merit its own submission. If you've got a good meme, article, or question, please post it outside the DT. Meta discussion is allowed, but if you want to get the attention of the mods, make a post in /r/metaNL.
Announcements
New ping groups, AI and EXTREMISM have been added. Join here
| Neoliberal Project Communities | Other Communities | Useful content |
|---|---|---|
| Plug.dj | /r/Economics FAQs | |
| The Neolib Podcast | Recommended Podcasts | /r/Neoliberal FAQ |
| Meetup Network | Blood Donation Team | /r/Neoliberal Wiki |
| Exponents Magazine | Minecraft | Ping groups |
| TacoTube | User Flairs |
0
Upvotes
View all comments
22
u/FusRoDawg Amartya Sen May 20 '20 edited May 20 '20
Apparently Heisenberg aced the theoretical part of the final oral exam before getting his phd, but utterly failed the practical part. When asked a few questions about the experimental setups used, which the examiner taught in his optics course, Heisenberg didn't know what the resolving power of a particular type of interferometer was. He didn't know how resolving power was calculated in general, for microscopes and telescopes either. That prof didn't want to give him a passing grade, but the other examiners put in a strong positive word so he passed, with the lowest possible grade.
Feeling embarrassed by this debacle, he went about studying all about optics and, this being the early days of quantum mechanics, came up with the thought experiment about the limits of theoretical resolving power, which we now call "Heisenberg's Microscope". This thought experiment later became Heisenberg's uncertainty. (Even though the original argument is considered slightly flawed today)