superposition

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the quantum mechanical principle that a physical system can exist in multiple distinct states simultaneously until a measurement is made, at which point the superposition collapses to a single definite state with probabilities given by the wavefunction; Schrödinger's cat thought experiment illustrates superposition at the macroscopic scale by describing a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead until the box is opened and observed; superposition is the operational basis of quantum computing, where quantum bits or qubits can encode and process exponentially more information than classical bits because they can exist in superpositions of zero and one simultaneously