observable

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Etymology

From observe + -able.

Pronunciation

• (British, Australia) IPA: /əbˈzɜː.və.bəl/, [əbˈzɜː.və.bɫ̩]
• (America, Canada) IPA: /əbˈzɝ.və.bəl/, [əbˈzɝ.və.bɫ̩]

Adjective

observable

1. Able to be observed.

   The strange new star was at the edge of the observable universe.

2. Deserving to be observed; worth regarding; remarkable.

Synonyms

• (able to be observed) noticeable, perceivable; see also Thesaurus:perceptible
• (deserving to be observed) eminent, noteworthy; see also Thesaurus:notable

Translations

• French: observable
• German: beobachtbar
• Italian: osservabile
• Portuguese: observável
• Russian: наблюда́емый
• Spanish: observable

Noun

observable (plural observables)

1. (physics) Any physical property that can be observed and measured directly and not derived from other properties

   Temperature is an observable but entropy is derived.

   In quantum mechanics, observables correspond to Hermitian operators. Also, they act a lot like random variables. Taking their expected value one may recover something resembling a classical observable.

Translations

• French: observable

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