superposition

American  

[soo-per-puh-zish-uhn] / ˌsu pər pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

Geology.

1. the order in which sedimentary strata are superposed one above another.

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superposition British  

/ ˌsuːpəpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of superposing or state of being superposed

2. geology the principle that in any sequence of sedimentary rocks which has not been disturbed, the oldest strata lie at the bottom and the youngest at the top

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superposition Scientific  

/ so̅o̅′pər-pə-zĭsh′ən /

1. The principle that in a group of stratified sedimentary rocks the lowest were the earliest to be deposited.

2. The principle by which the description of the state of a physical system can be broken down into descriptions that are themselves possible states of the system. For example, harmonic motion, as of a violin string, can be analyzed as the sum of harmonic frequencies or harmonics, each of which is itself a kind of harmonic motion; harmonic motion is therefore a superposition of individual harmonics.

3. The combination of two or more physical states, such as waves, to form a new physical state in accordance with this principle.

4. See also wave See Note at Schrödinger

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Etymology

Origin of superposition

1790–1800; < French superposition; super-, position

Example Sentences

When the qubit is taken out of superposition, its value between 1 and 0—representing a probability—is captured.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

When the two overlap, their superposition transfers the information from the original photon to the far-away partner of the entangled pair.

From Science Daily • Nov. 29, 2025

Quantum bits, or qubits, have the property of superposition, which is said to be useful for more complex calculations.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 22, 2025

Wheeler’s idea of the participatory universe is rooted in quantum mechanics, which allows a particle to be in two places at once by being in what is called a superposition state.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2025

The photographic copying process here offers no difficulty, being done of the natural size, by the method of superposition.

From The Pencil of Nature by Talbot, William Henry Fox