An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A demonstration which is carried out in the realm of the imagination, rather than in a laboratory. Thought experiments are designed to test ideas, theories, and hypotheses which cannot physically be tested, at least with current scientific equipment. Some examples: → Maxwell’s demon; → Einstein’s elevator; Heisenberg’s gamma-ray microscope; → Schrodinger’s cat. Also called Gedanken experiment.

See also: → thought; → experiment. Based on both the Ger./L. compound Gedankenexperiment and its Ger. equivalent Gedankenversuch.