The uncertainty principle is the recognition that a precise, simultaneous measurement of some complementary variables - such as the position and momentum of a subatomic particle, or its energy and the time at which the energy was measured - is impossible. Contrary to the principles of classical physics, the simultaneous measurement of such variables is inescapably limited; the more precisely one is measured, the less one can learn about the other. One of the consequences of this is that one can have small fluctuations in energy for short periods of time.
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Stannard, R. (2013). Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. In: Runehov, A.L.C., Oviedo, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8265-8_200566
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