Thought Experiment Definition

noun
The act of reasoning through to the practical outcome of a hypothesis when physical proof is unavailable or unattainable.
Webster's New World
An imagined sequence of events that is used to illustrate or investigate the consequences of a given action or condition, especially in philosophy and theoretical physics.
American Heritage Medicine

Other Word Forms of Thought Experiment

Noun

Singular:
thought experiment
Plural:
thought-experiments

Origin of Thought Experiment

  • Translation of German Gedankenexperiment Gedanke thought Experiment experiment

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • A calque of German Gedankenexperiment.

    From Wiktionary

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