superposition

noun

su·​per·​po·​si·​tion ˌsü-pər-pə-ˈzi-shən 

plural superpositions

: the placement of one thing above or on top of another

The principle used to determine whether one sedimentary rock is older than another is very simple, and is known as the law of superposition. Here is an example: A deposit of mud laid down this year in, say, the Gulf of Mexico will rest on top of a layer that was deposited last year.

—Sheldon Judson and Marvin E. Kauffman

especially, physics : the combination of two distinct physical phenomena of the same type (such as spin or wavelength) so that they coexist as part of the same event

Schrödinger perversely suggested that until the box was opened and the outcome of the experiment observed, the particle must remain suspended in a superposition of two states: simultaneously going through both holes.

—George Johnson

In a quantum computer, however, the "transistors" remain in a superposition of 0 and 1 …

—Philip Yam

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The circuit’s superposition was then transferred to the oscillation of the crystal. —Lars Fischer, Scientific American, 12 May 2023

The superposition of the above factors may increase the probability of mistakenly stepping on the accelerator pedal for a long time, which may increase the risk of collision and pose a safety hazard. —Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 12 May 2023

But further, a functional language at the quantum level also hints at a range of other possible key principles—beyond superposition, entanglement, tunneling and annealing—that must exist and must be leveraged if a quantum computer is to begin to imitate nature. —Pravir Malik, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023

Alice measures the spin of a stream of electrons that are prepared in a superposition state. —Chris Lee, Ars Technica, 19 Aug. 2020

The electron could use the quantum effect of superposition, where a particle can be in two places at once, to test several routes to the reaction center where photosynthesis takes place, and take the most efficient one. —Steve Volk, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2018

Rubino’s team looked at a quantum superposition with a state that evolves both backward and forward in time. —Stav Dimitropoulos, Popular Mechanics, 22 Apr. 2022

But what if that object is in a superposition? —Katie Mccormick, Quanta Magazine, 25 Oct. 2021

Things like superposition, entanglement, and even teleportation all seem possible when things go quantum. —Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 23 Feb. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above