WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
prin′ciple of superposi′tion, [Physics.]
- Physicsany of several physical laws that the resultant of similar vector quantities at a point is a function of the sum of the individual quantities, esp. the law that the displacement at a point in a medium undergoing simple harmonic motion is equal to the sum of the displacements of each individual wave. Also called superposition principle.
'principle of superposition' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):