Remove ads
A thought experiment is an experiment that takes place in people's minds instead of in a laboratory or in the real world. In a real-life experiment, people can see and measure changes, but thought experiments only show special ways of thinking. Anyone can do a thought experiment.
 | This article may not have a worldwide view of the subject. |
The usual goal of a thought experiment is to show what might happen: if this were true, what would follow from it?
The history of science has many thought experiments in it. Hans Christian Ørsted was the first to use the German term Gedankenexperiment (means 'thought experiment') in about 1812.[1]
Posing hypothetical questions had been done for long time (by scientists and philosophers).[2][3] However, people had no way of talking about it.
Remove ads
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
Remove ads