Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

thomson's lamp

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.34 in modern English

Syllables
thom-son's lamp
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A hypothetical lamp in a philosophical paradox. The lamp is repeatedly turned on and off by means of a switch; at the end of this time period, regarded as the sum of an infinite series of intervals, it seems paradoxically that the lamp cannot be either on or off.

Etymology

The idea was devised in 1954 by British philosopher James F. Thomson.

Questions

What does thomson's lamp mean?
A hypothetical lamp in a philosophical paradox. The lamp is repeatedly turned on and off by means of a switch; at the end of this time period, regarded as the sum of an infinite series of intervals, it seems paradoxically that the lamp cannot be either on or off.
Where does thomson's lamp come from?
The idea was devised in 1954 by British philosopher James F. Thomson.

How to pronounce thomson's lamp

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