Infinite number of quantum particles gives clues to big-picture behavior at large scale

In quantum mechanics, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle prevents an external observer from measuring both the position and speed (referred to as momentum) of a particle at the same time. They can only know with a high degree of certainty either one or the other--unlike what happens at large scales where both are known. To identify a given particle's characteristics, physicists introduced the notion of quasi-distribution of position and momentum. This approach was an attempt to reconcile quant...