Tuesday, March 23, 2010: 8:35 AM
Bowie B (Grand Hyatt San Antonio)
We are all famaliar with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, which states that (delta x)*(delta p)> h/2pi, where x is position and p is momentum. Thus, if we specify (delta x)=0, then we cannot specify (delta p); i.e., we have no knowledge about (delta p). An equivalent uncertainty relation exists for energy (e) and time (t); it is: (delta e)*(delta t)>h/2pi. Similar indeterminacies exist in chemical engineering; however, they are not based on quantum theory. They arise from Brownian motion. Such relationships are formally similar to those arising from quantum mechanics, but physically, they have a different origin. The indeterminacy relations in chemical engineering arise from the statistical character of the process. This presentation derives the uncertainty relations that arise in chemical engineering.
See more of this Session: Process Development Fundamentals
See more of this Group/Topical: Process Development Division
See more of this Group/Topical: Process Development Division
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