I was just introduced to a new term the other day - “Thought experiments.” Basically, a thought experiment is a “device of the imagination used to investigate the nature of things.”

In a more general sense, a thought experiment is “the use of an imagined scenario to help us understand the way things really are.

That’s a pretty broad definition, so lets list some of the big studies:

  • Newton’s bucket
  • Maxwell’s demon
  • Einstein’s elevator
  • Heisenberg’s gamma-ray microscope
  • Schrödinger’s cat

In a more general sense, a thought experiment is “the use of an imagined scenario to help us understand the way things really are.

This sort of thinking and experimenting still exists and is used a bit today. But in present times, with computers and science, thought experiments are less dominant.

The reason I like this is because anything goes. Your mind is the limit. Granted, you might need to do some background work or stay within you niche expertise, but a thought experiment is a pretty powerful thing.

I see it applied to terms of web development pretty thoroughly. For example, I am sure that one day someone had this brainstorm of an idea about tranferring voice over the internet. Then they went how, did some research, and thought about it for a while.

How can I make it happen? What are my barriers? What will it take to get people to sign up? And so on. Before the founder knew it, he had a perfectly legit business model right in front of him (aka voip). But it was all in his mind.

The real beauty is in the transfer of the experiment. I am sure he called his business partner and was so ecstatic that he was slurring his words and shouting into the phone, but somehow that knowledge was transferred. He ’sold’ the idea to his colleague.

To me, that is the power of the mind. That is the power of a thought experiment.

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