exclusion principle

noun

Physics.

the principle that in any system described by quantum mechanics no two identical particles having spin equal to half an odd integer can be in the same quantum state: first postulated for the electrons in atoms.

exclusion principle

noun

See Pauli exclusion principle

exclusion principle

See Pauli exclusion principle

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Word History and Origins

Origin of exclusion principle¹

First recorded in 1925–30

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Understanding the origin of Pauli’s exclusion principle would unlock explanations for all of these deep facts of quotidian life.

From

Discovered in the mid-1920s by German physicist Wolfgang Pauli, the exclusion principle states, roughly, that no two things can be in the same place at the same time.

From

To avoid some inconsistencies associated with the exclusion principle, it already had been suggested that quarks might come in three “colors.”

From

These stars would be supported by the exclusion principle repulsion between neutrons and protons, rather than between electrons.

From

Dozens of others have already pointed out how strategically idiotic is Trump’s exclusion principle.

From

exclusionist exclusive

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