thought experiment

American  

noun

1. Physics. a demonstration or calculation that is based on the postulates of a theory, as relativity, and that demonstrates or clarifies the consequences of the postulates.

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Etymology

Origin of thought experiment

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

"It was fun to work through the thought experiment of how a lake model designed for Earth could be adapted for another planet, though this process came with a hefty amount of debugging when we had to change, say, gravity," said Dee, an associate professor of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences and co-author of the study.

From Science Daily

Although most who semi-soberly engaged with this thought experiment recognized it to be farce — Lord, we hope they did – others treated the fantasy wrestling match seriously.

From Salon

“That’s where ‘compute in orbit’ becomes a thought experiment worth taking seriously—because the economics of AI are unusually high revenue per kW, and solar in space is always ‘on/ relative to many terrestrial constraints,” Tuttle adds.

From MarketWatch

Another favorite question Atlas asks is the “man or bear” thought experiment.

From Salon

Musk met Grimes while trying to make a dad joke about Roko’s Basilisk, a thought experiment about an all-powerful future artificial intelligence that punishes past critics via time travel.

From Salon