56. Why is the following situation impossible? An air rifle is used to shoot 1.00-g particles at a speed of vx = 100 m/s. The rifle’s barrel has a diameter of 2.00 mm. The rifle is mounted on a perfectly rigid support so that it is fired in exactly the same way each time. Because of the uncertainty principle, however, after many firings, the diameter of the spray of pellets on a paper target is 1.00 cm.

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roadjester · Answer

@Vincent-Lyon.Fr

roadjester · Answer

@agent0smith 
@wolfe8

roadjester · Answer

@raffle_snaffle

roadjester · Answer

@CliffSedge

anonymous · Answer

I don't think that is an application of quantum uncertainty.

roadjester · Answer

It's from the chapter on Heisennberg Uncertainty Principle.

anonymous · Answer

And that's my answer to the question, "Why is the following situation impossible?" - The uncertainty principle says - among other things - that the product of the uncertainty in position times the uncertainty in momentum is always greater than a function of Planck's constant.

roadjester · Answer

I realize that a 1g particle is too big which is probably why it's impossible.
But how do I prove that with numbers?

roadjester · Answer

Oh, that too. =)

roadjester · Answer

@vegeto unless you can answer this?

anonymous · Answer

The distribution of the pellets seems possible, but not due to Heisenberg uncertainty.