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Observable vs Palpable - What's the difference?

observable | palpable | Related terms |

As adjectives the difference between observable and palpable

is that observable is able to be observed while palpable is capable of being touched, felt or handled; touchable, tangible.

As a noun observable

is any physical property that can be observed and measured directly and not derived from other properties.

observable

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Able to be observed.
  • * The strange new star was at the edge of the observable universe
  • Deserving to be observed.
  • * Easter is an observable holiday

    • Noun

    (wikipedia observable) (en noun)
  • (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 average one may recover something resembling a classical '''observable .
    ----

    palpable

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Capable of being touched, felt or handled; touchable, tangible.
  • * (William Shakespeare), Hamlet , act 5, sc. 2:
    • Osric: A hit, a very palpable hit.
  • * 1838 , (Edgar Allan Poe), "Ligeia":
    • I had felt that some palpable although invisible object had passed lightly by my person.
  • * 1894 , (Bret Harte), "The Heir of the McHulishes" in A Protegee of Jack Hamlin's and Other Stories :
    • The next morning the fog had given way to a palpable , horizontally driving rain.
  • Obvious or easily perceived; noticeable.
  • *
    • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5 , passage=Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness,
  • * 1913 , (Sax Rohmer), The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu ch. 24:
    • Her voice, her palpable agitation, prepared us for something extraordinary.
  • * 1916 , (Kathleen Norris), The Heart of Rachael , ch. 7:
    • No use in raging, in reasoning, in arguing. No use in setting forth the facts, the palpable right and wrong.
  • (medicine) That can be detected by palpation.

    • Synonyms

    * (capable of being touched) tangible, touchable * (obvious or easily perceived) manifest, noticeable, patent