"The more precicely the position is determined, the less precisely the momentum is known in this instant, and vice versa."
Applying to quantum particles, this is the principle by which we know that you cannot observe something without changing it at the same time.
That's because to see a particle you either need to shine light on it or have it collide with a detector. The deleterious effects of the latter are obvious, but with the former, a photon of light hitting that particle will make it change velocity.
One day, Werner Heisenberg gets pulled over by a traffic cop. The officer walks up to the driver's side and says, “do you have any idea how fast you were going?”
“No,” replied the scientist, “but I can tell you exactly where I am!”
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