(68a) Indeterminacy Relations in Chemical Engineering

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.