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What would it be like if Plank's constant is smaller or larger than what it is?

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  • Anonymous
    2 decades ago
    Favorite Answer

    Plank's constant is relevant in quantum mechanics, particularly in the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principal, which says that the uncertainty in position multiplied by the uncertainty in momentum must be equal or greater to 1/2 h-bar, where h-bar is Plank's constant divided by 2 pie. Another way of saying it is that the uncertainty in energy multiplied by the uncertainty in time must be equal or greater to the same. Since Plank's constant is already pretty damn small, I'll talk about if it were large enough to affect macroscopic objects directly. Essentially, all of the laws of physics by which we live our everyday lives would be replaced with quantum mechanical laws. You could never know where anything is exactly, you could only know it's probability of being at some location. Large objects would barrier tunnel through other objects, going directly from point A to point B without ever having passed through the space between. Your position and your energy would have to take discreet values. For instance, say you were running down a football field. You might be able to be at the 5 yard line and at the 10 yard line, but you could never be at the 6-9 yard line. In other words, it would be weird.

  • 2 decades ago

    I don't know about smaller, but a larger plank's legnth would make the world more chaotic the bigger it got.

    Source(s): "The Elegent Universe" By Brian Green
  • 2 decades ago

    with a higher planks constant you (or any other body/radiating object) would be freezing to death at all times given the fact that your body would radiate all its heat as fast as possible. while with a lower one you would be extremely hot given the fact that your body would have difficulty releasing the heat. however lucky for us nature has its constants to maintain equilibrium and planks constant is one of them.

  • 2 decades ago

    It would be very confusing if it would be greater than what it is, yet there would be fewer Nobel laureates if it were smaller.

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