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

See Examples For:

thought experiment

To start things off, let’s entertain a thought experiment.

From Salon ● Jun. 14, 2026

When comic creator Garth Ennis first conceived “The Boys” in 2004, blending the cult of celebrity with the high stakes of politics seemed merely like a dark thought experiment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

In the 1940s, University of Chicago economist Frank H. Knight devised a thought experiment called the Crusonia plant: a miraculous organism that, once planted, yields fruit year after year without any effort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

Physicists describe these conditions as Schrödinger cat states, referencing Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger's famous thought experiment involving a cat that is simultaneously dead and alive until observed.

From Science Daily ● May 11, 2026

He went back to his old thought experiment and began to study it carefully, this time with the help of real tanks, real blocks of wood and pieces of marble.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton