exclusion principle

noun

: a principle in physics: no two particles (such as electrons) in an atom or molecule can have the same set of quantum numbers

called also Pauli exclusion principle

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The exclusion principle ensures that electrons occupy different orbits around a nucleus. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2020

But these have a powerful negative charge that would overwhelm the subtle self-ordering effect of the exclusion principle. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2020

Which also has nothing to do with the exclusion principle, so at least it’s consistent. —Sean Carroll, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2012

Understanding the origin of Pauli’s exclusion principle would unlock explanations for all of these deep facts of quotidian life. —Adam Becker, Scientific American, 22 Nov. 2022

Wolfgang Pauli’s exclusion principle, discovered in 1925 through studies of atomic spectra, showed the possibility of hole-like vacancies in atoms and molecules. —Frank Wilczek, WSJ, 19 May 2022

That exclusion principle applies to the atoms in gas, too, which is what the scientists used to demonstrate it. —Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 24 Nov. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above