exclusion principle

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the principle that in any system described by quantum mechanics no two identical particles having spin equal to half an odd integer can be in the same quantum state: first postulated for the electrons in atoms.

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exclusion principle British  

noun

1. See Pauli exclusion principle

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exclusion principle Scientific  

/ ĭk-sklo̅o̅′zhən /

1. See Pauli exclusion principle

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Etymology

Origin of exclusion principle

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Pauli’s exclusion principle was merely a special case of this spin-statistics theorem, as it came to be known.

From Scientific American • Nov. 22, 2022

Understanding the origin of Pauli’s exclusion principle would unlock explanations for all of these deep facts of quotidian life.

From Scientific American • Nov. 22, 2022

Counting the number of possible combinations of quantum numbers allowed by the exclusion principle, we can determine how many electrons it takes to fill each subshell and shell.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Fermions obey the Pauli exclusion principle whereas bosons do not.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

The matter particles obey what is called Pauli’s exclusion principle.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking