An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

1) Math.: The principle concerned with homogeneous and non-homogeneous → linear differential equations, stating that two or more solutions to a linear equation or set of linear equations can be added together so that their sum is also a solution.
2) One of the most fundamental principles of → quantum mechanics which distinctly marks the departure from classical concepts. It holds that any linear superposition of → wave functions is also a possible wave function. Simply put, the state of an object is all its possible states simultaneously, as long as we do not look to check. It is the measurement itself that causes the object to be limited to a single possibility. The superposition principle is rooted in the linearity of → Schrödinger's equation. Hence if two solutions of the wave function, ψ₁ and ψ₂, are known, other solutions, of the form: ψ = a₁ψ₁ + a₂ψ₂ also represent possible states of the system.

→ superposition; → principle.