# Uncertainty in quantum mechanics
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncertainty-in-quantum-mechanics/157839
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 27, 2003, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncertainty-in-quantum-mechanics/157839 "2003-02-27T07:05:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncertainty-in-quantum-mechanics/157839/21 "2003-02-28T21:38:50Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Ludovic \*
> \*\ ***DrMatrix** , I was about to post in essence the same explanation as to “hidden variables,” but, while I understand that it has been shown to be a contradiction, I _dont understand it_. The cites I have seen for this dont provide an explanation of it, either.
>
> Do you have a cite for a scientific explanation of the contradiction?
>
> (an interesting side note: if you posit absolutely no hidden variables, this disproves the Pantheistic interpretation of the Ontological Existence of God, since the universe is then not omniscient! But thats more GD territory) \*\*
There is no contradiction.
The experiments seem to have disproven _local_ hidden variables, but not global hidden variables. So your omniscient universe is still in play.
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### Author:  [@TheBrahmanator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBrahmanator)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncertainty-in-quantum-mechanics/157839/22 "2003-02-28T22:16:57Z")
A couple of questions about uncertainty principle–Why can’t one predict the effects of bouncing, say, a photon off of a particle? Is it that we don’t know all the necessary information about the photon to predict exactly how it would behave, much less how it wold interact with another particle? Or is it just virtually impossible to say what effect the photon would have, as even if we may predict the behaviour of the photon satisfactorily, it becomes unreasonably complicated to mathematically model the actual situation? Or something else entirely? Is it something that could be overcome through reasoning and/or increased capabilities of observation, or a logical absolute?
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### Author:  [@Lobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobot)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncertainty-in-quantum-mechanics/157839/23 "2003-02-28T22:39:16Z")
Thanks again for the replies.
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