observable
American-
A measurable property of a physical system, such as mass or momentum. In quantum mechanics, observables correspond to mathematical operators used in the calculation of measurable quantities. Operators that do not commute, having a nonzero commutator, correspond to observables that cannot be precisely measured at the same time, such as momentum and position.
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See also uncertainty principle
Other Word Forms
- nonobservable adjective
- nonobservably adverb
- observability noun
- observableness noun
- observably adverb
- unobservable adjective
Etymology
Origin of observable
1600–10; < Latin observābilis remarkable, equivalent to observā ( re ) to observe + -bilis -ble
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So that factual observable measure would be misleading in terms of how much democracy you have.
From Salon
During the weeks of the rallies, there were no observable changes in organ donation in non-neighboring regions, which made it less likely to be some unknown factor causing an increase in organ donation.
From New York Times
While, incredibly, “the diameter of the entire observable universe is just one ronnameter,” Brown said.
From Seattle Times
A common way to illustrate “astronomical” is to compare the quantity in question with the number of atoms in the observable universe, estimated to be at most 1082.
From Scientific American
Or, if you prefer, 20 billion trillion kilometers away from us, a decent fraction of the size of the observable universe.
From Scientific American
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
