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HandWiki. Complementarity. Encyclopedia. Available online: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/34360 (accessed on 23 September 2026).
HandWiki. Complementarity. Encyclopedia. Available at: https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/34360. Accessed September 23, 2026.
HandWiki. "Complementarity" Encyclopedia, https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/34360 (accessed September 23, 2026).
HandWiki. (2022, November 14). Complementarity. In Encyclopedia. https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/34360
HandWiki. "Complementarity." Encyclopedia. Web. 14 November, 2022.
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In physics, complementarity is a conceptual aspect of quantum mechanics that Niels Bohr regarded as an essential feature of the theory. The complementarity principle holds that objects have certain pairs of complementary properties which cannot all be observed or measured simultaneously. An example of such a pair is position and momentum. Bohr considered one of the foundational truths of quantum mechanics to be the fact that setting up an experiment to measure one quantity of a pair, for instance the position of an electron, excludes the possibility of measuring the other, yet understanding both experiments is necessary to characterize the object under study. In Bohr's view, the behavior of atomic and subatomic objects cannot be separated from the measuring instruments that create the context in which the measured objects behave. Consequently, there is no "single picture" that unifies the results obtained in these different experimental contexts, and only the "totality of the phenomena" together can provide a completely informative description.
quantum mechanics
complementarity
totality
References
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- Bohr, N. (1928). "The Quantum Postulate and the Recent Development of Atomic Theory". Nature 121 (3050): 580–590. doi:10.1038/121580a0. Bibcode: 1928Natur.121..580B. Available in the collection of Bohr's early writings, Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature (1934). https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2F121580a0
- Frescura, F. A. M.; Hiley, B. J. (July 1984). "Algebras, quantum theory and pre-space". Revista Brasileira de Física Special volume "Os 70 anos de Mario Schonberg": 49–86, 2. http://www.bbk.ac.uk/tpru/BasilHiley/P12FrescandHiley3.pdf.
- Fuchs, Christopher A. (2017). "Notwithstanding Bohr: The Reasons for QBism". Mind and Matter 15: 245–300. Bibcode: 2017arXiv170503483F. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017arXiv170503483F
- Jammer, Max (1974). The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-471-43958-4.
- Bohr, Niels (1939). "The causality problem in atomic physics". New theories in physics. Paris: International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation. pp. 11–38.
- Chevalley, Catherine (1999). "Why Do We Find Bohr Obscure?". Epistemological and Experimental Perspectives on Quantum Physics. Springer Science+Business Media. pp. 59–74. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-1454-9. ISBN 978-9-04815-354-1. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2F978-94-017-1454-9
- Bohr, Niels (1949). "Discussions with Einstein on Epistemological Problems in Atomic Physics". in Schilpp, Paul Arthur. Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist. Open Court.
- Saunders, Simon (2005). "Complementarity and Scientific Rationality". Foundations of Physics 35 (3): 417–447. doi:10.1007/s10701-004-1982-x. Bibcode: 2005FoPh...35..417S. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs10701-004-1982-x
- Rosenfeld, L. (1953). "Strife about Complementarity". Science Progress (1933- ) 41 (163): 393–410. ISSN 0036-8504. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43414997.
- Griffiths, David J. (2017) (in en). Introduction to Quantum Mechanics. Cambridge University Press. pp. 111. ISBN 978-1-107-17986-8.
- Cohen-Tannoudji, Claude; Diu, Bernard; Laloë, Franck (2019-12-04) (in en). Quantum Mechanics, Volume 1: Basic Concepts, Tools, and Applications. Wiley. pp. 232. ISBN 978-3-527-34553-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=o6yftQEACAAJ.
- Bengtsson, Ingemar; Ericsson, Åsa (June 2005). "Mutually Unbiased Bases and the Complementarity Polytope" (in en). Open Systems & Information Dynamics 12 (2): 107–120. doi:10.1007/s11080-005-5721-3. ISSN 1230-1612. Bibcode: 2004quant.ph.10120B. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2Fs11080-005-5721-3
- Blanchfield, Kate (2014-04-04). "Orbits of mutually unbiased bases". Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical 47 (13): 135303. doi:10.1088/1751-8113/47/13/135303. ISSN 1751-8113. Bibcode: 2014JPhA...47m5303B. https://dx.doi.org/10.1088%2F1751-8113%2F47%2F13%2F135303
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