Niels Bohr
Pioneer of quantum theory and atomic structure
Most quoted
"The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And complementarity, by the way, is not a new invention of mine. It is, in fact, as old as language itself. We have to be clear that when it comes to atoms, language can be used only as poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images and establishing connections."
— from Interview with Aage Petersen
"The fact that religions through the ages have spoken in images, parables, and paradoxes means simply that there are no other ways of grasping the reality to which they refer. But that does not mean that it is not a genuine reality. And the fact that this reality is not accessible to us in the same way as material reality makes it no less real."
— from Attributed
"The very nature of the quantum theory thus forces us to regard the space-time co-ordination and the claim of causality, the union of which characterizes the classical theories, as complementary but exclusive features of the description, symbolizing the idealization of observation and definition respectively."
— from Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature, 1929
All quotes by Niels Bohr (768)
Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.
Physics is to be regarded not so much as the study of something a priori given, but rather as the development of methods for ordering and surveying human experience.
The word 'reality' is also a word, a word which we must learn to use correctly.
The quantum postulate implies that any observation of atomic phenomena will involve an interaction with the measuring instrument which is of the same order of magnitude as the interaction between the parts of the atomic object itself.
We are here in a new domain of physical inquiry where the ordinary ideas of causality and space-time description are no longer applicable in the same way as in classical physics.
The fundamental difference between classical and quantum physics is that in quantum physics the interaction between the object and the measuring instrument cannot be neglected.
The concept of complementarity is meant to describe a situation where the unambiguous application of the classical concepts requires a choice between different experimental arrangements, which are mutually exclusive.
The ultimate truth is not a simple statement, but a complex of complementary aspects.
The very nature of our concepts forces us to use them in a complementary way.
The more we learn, the more we realize how much we don't know.
The problem of observation in atomic physics is not a problem of disturbing the phenomenon, but of creating it.
The notion of complementarity is not a philosophical speculation, but a direct consequence of the quantum of action.
The analysis of the process of observation in atomic physics has shown that the interaction between the object and the measuring instrument cannot be neglected.
We are dealing with a new situation in physics, where the classical concepts are no longer adequate for a complete description of atomic phenomena.
The quantum of action is a universal constant of nature, which implies that in atomic phenomena we are always dealing with finite interactions.
The concept of complementarity is a logical generalization of the classical mode of description, which allows us to account for the peculiar features of atomic phenomena.
The very definition of the physical concepts depends on the experimental arrangement.
The description of atomic phenomena requires a choice between mutually exclusive experimental arrangements.
The quantum theory has taught us that the classical concepts are only applicable in the limit where the quantum of action can be neglected.
The problem of observation in atomic physics is not a problem of disturbing the phenomenon, but of creating it through the interaction with the measuring instrument.
Contemporaries of Niels Bohr
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Niels Bohr (1885–1962).