| the principle that the laws of quantum mechanics and of any new theory that may be developed reduce to the laws of Newtonian mechanics and electromagnetic theory when applied to systems in which Planck's constant can be regarded as negligible, wavelengths are comparatively small, dimensions are relatively large, etc. |
| correspondence principle n. The principle that predictions of quantum theory approach those of classical physics in the limit of large quantum numbers. |
correspondence principle
philosophical guideline for the selection of new theories in physical science, requiring that they explain all the phenomena for which a preceding theory was valid. Formulated in 1923 by the Danish physicist Niels Bohr, this principle is a distillation of the thought that had led him in the development of his atomic theory, an early form of quantum mechanics.
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