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.

---

Etymology

Origin of thought experiment

First recorded in 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thought experiment

That process could help explain why large objects do not remain in the strange combinations of states allowed by quantum mechanics, such as the dead-and-alive situation imagined in Schrödinger's cat thought experiment.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

One common thought experiment is that a superintelligent machine told to maximize paper clip production could in time decide to turn all matter on Earth into paper clips, humans included.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 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

Joe Wengert co-created “Kevin” with ex-girlfriend/series voice actor Aubrey Plaza as a cathartic thought experiment about their actual pet cat, Kevin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 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