Uncertainty

The blur is a form of inaccuracy, ambiguity or uncertainty in the imaging and reproduction of an object or situation. Blur is not necessarily a mistake on blur it is desirable, for example, in quantum mechanics, it is a fundamental nature and therefore unavoidable.

Basics

Extraordinary sharpness ( as the opposite of blur) is defined as 100% distinctness of details (when playing an image or facts ). Absolute blur is the lack of all distinguishing features. In both cases - and out of focus - are 100% states practically impossible.

Blur is defined as a specific ( ie not 100% ) of an object or inaccuracy facts - always depending on the context of consideration. This scale - that is, the context - certainly a perception as " out of focus ".

• Example of blur in the picture:

• Example of blur in the reproduction of facts:

Photography

The physical measure of the sharpness ( and blur) in an optical system is the edge sharpness. Thus, a particular criterion is referred to, which can be observed at the edges. The abrupt here are the transitions from dark to light, the sharper the picture. The edge sharpness is a matter of (light) hole: An infinitely small hole in the camera obscura can be an infinitely sharp result (excluding the diffraction effects ), but also infinitely dark image. If you make the hole finally large, the image is lighter, but also less sharp. Thus, neither a 100 % sharp, even a 100 % blurred image is possible. Edge sharpness has nothing to do with resolution.

Within those limits, makes the sharpness / blur an optical system influence. A sharp image is formed when each point of the object plane is imaged on one point on the image plane. When a part of the image is located in front of or behind the image plane results in a blurred image. By changing the distance of the lens, a focus position for a portion of the image can be achieved. Blurring caused by different progress of edge rays and rays passing through the center of the lens can be reduced by stopping down. Stopping down increases the depth of field. Following the same principle arises in nearsightedness or farsightedness a blurred image on the retina, which can be corrected by the optical path changing lens ( glasses or contact lenses ). Blur in the photograph acts partially as a limitation of the frequency spectrum of the spatial frequencies - the equivalent of a low-pass ( = the heights are taken away ).

Blur also created by:

• The contamination of the lens
• The diffraction of light around obstacles (see diffraction blur)
• Represents the depth of field that maps the accommodation of the lens and a depth effect
• The blur of an entire image or image segment, which serves more artistic methods and is applied in image processing with a filter of the type blur. Use of this image effect is represented by the bokeh.
• The motion blur caused by relative movement of the mapped image to the film or sensor
• ( without possessing sharpness) the sharpness that looks only sharp

A certain degree of fuzziness are typical essentials of photos:

• Soft gradients between colors
• Color areas with natural structuring
• Mergers between various picture elements ( without edges, "like cut with scissors " look ).

Physics

The "fuzziness " of a measurement result due to lack of resolution of the Messaparatur is commonly referred to as opposed to the use of the term in quantum mechanics as uncertainty.

Quantum mechanics

In quantum mechanics, two measurable quantities ( observables ) are referred to as out of focus, if they do not simultaneously be measured with arbitrary precision. The best known example is the position and momentum of a particle. Here the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that the product of position uncertainty and momentum uncertainty is not smaller than the Planck constant divided by two can be.

Waves

The uncertainty in measurements with waves is that the beginning and end of a shaft can not be determined arbitrarily sharp. For example: If the water level exceeds the height of 1 meter, then the wave has arrived. The same applies to the end of the shaft. This is valid both spatially and temporally. The shaft is thus not exactly located on a point or time, but always from here to there.

Such or similar definitions are used, because otherwise no statement about the arrival of a wave are possible, or even just vague statements such as: The shaft is now perhaps slow, I think the water is rising slightly. The above definition of the arrival of said water wave allows only the statements: Wave is there or shaft is not there.

Some conclusions which have been concluded on the basis of such definitions for a specific wave phenomena are sometimes carelessly referred to as basic blur this wave phenomenon, since it does not depend on technical problems with the instruments. Such uncertainties are not necessary in time or space, but can then affect other metrics such as energy and momentum.

The greater the uncertainty the greater the wavelength: For the uncertainty in measurements of waves, the rule of thumb.

Along with the relationship that calculates the velocity of a wave as the number of oscillations per second, times the length of a wave ( speed = frequency * wavelength) follow from (with the same wave speed, ie without dispersion relation ) some other statements:

The higher the frequency, the sharper the image. The smaller the wavelength, the smaller the blur.

Often the frequency of a wave of energy, which transports the shaft, is associated in a way that the energy of the wave increases with increasing frequency, that is, shorter wavelengths carry more energy. Shorter wavelengths are, however, desirable to reduce the blurring of the observation of an object. Generally speaking, therefore increases the risk of destroying an object when it is considered sharp.

Examples of blur caused by waves:

• The limited resolving power of microscopes according to the definition by Ernst Abbe. Similar uncertainties apply to other wave-optical devices such as telescopes.
• The resolution of radar systems and radio telescopes.
• The resolving power of seismic waves in determining an epicenter or hypocenter.
• The resolving power of echo sounders, for example, in the sound - locating the bat.

Logic and language theory

Classical logic is characterized by two sharp states: true and false; the life experience, however, shows that these two truth values ​​do not meet often. Fuzzy logics such as fuzzy logic, however, often lead to better results - especially when the originals are vague or inaccurate. Building on the results of the logic language theories, such as analytic philosophy are confronted with blurred phenomena since the universals. The logical positivism has tried to formulate the so-called one-one ( bijective ) terms, but this is more than succeeded in some areas of language: Can not establish a bijective Even in technical language, and in particular impact on the everyday language of blur is affected.

Blur is related to the concept of ambiguity ( ambiguity ); However, the concept of fuzziness refers to the object itself, which can be shown or depicted, while ambiguity involved in the interpretation of the article. Since the phenomena of blur and the ambiguity are related to uncertainties, similar methods can be reduced:

• Definitions: Certain linguistic signs can be defined by it refers to an object ( → Reference (linguistics) ). In vague terms but it is difficult to achieve clarity in this way.
• Respect to a core meaning: In the prototype semantics particularly undisputed terms are taken as the starting point, and then set the other comparable terms within a lexical field. Especially in open word fields are obtained as a higher uniqueness.
• Contextualization by compressed language ( see also description of density ), ie, sets of points with a description of the points of other descriptions in relationship.

See also: Referential Focus

Psychology

Social situations can be described as out of focus, their information content is blurred and a sense of uncertainty, indeterminacy or helplessness leaves in the perception of an observer, so that no clear or satisfactory behavior variations are available in response. This type of situation is interpreted as very unpleasant, since an orientation is perceived as difficult to impossible. In the worst case may be disease causing a large number of such situations ( experiences).

See diagram (psychology ), Pluralistic ignorance ( when a person is in an ambiguous, unpredictable situation and does not know what to do, he looks around then, what do the others)

Political science

Sovereign blur is a term coined by the German political scientist Karl -Rudolf Korte term that refers to the rejection of a trenchant political debate, according to Korte. Content flexibility and Präsidialstil are relying more and more perceived as a sign of professionalism. Especially the political style of Angela Merkel is often cited as an example of Korte for sovereign blur.