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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thought experiment

She compares the thought experiment to climate science, in which scientists put forward a range of climate change projections.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

We are experts in disasters and volcanoes and what follows is a thought experiment into what might happen in the worst case scenario.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

"It got me thinking could people actually survive on Shetland produce? I thought I would live out that thought experiment."

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Result: whiffs of the paper-clip maximizer, an ancient AI thought experiment in which a computer ends up consuming all planetary resources pursuant to its instruction to make paper clips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

It was a cumbersome way of doing business, but it got the job done and went far beyond what Archimedes needed to solve his thought experiment.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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