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

Examples of superposition in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But the two different values do not exist simultaneously during superposition. —Discover Magazine, 21 June 2024

In a quality called superposition, a particle can exist in many states at once. —Pamir Alpay, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2024

Fran and Steve’s wedding is at Golden Gate Park; Mary and Massimo’s wedding is at the courthouse; Steve and Mary’s wedding is in a quantum superposition. —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2024

Qubits can be in a superposition—strange combinations of 0s and 1s. —Kelsey Houston-Edwards, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above