plural of superposition principle

The claim that something good will turn up, especially when used to justify optimism. / The claim that financial surplus is success and debt is failure.

(mathematics) The theorem which states that any partition of a finite set of n elements into m (< n) subsets (allowing empty subsets) must include a subset with two or more elements; any of certain reformulations concerning the partition of infinite sets where the cardinality of the unpartitioned set exceeds that of the partition (so there is no one-to-one correspondence).

(management) The theory that people in an organization tend to rise (be promoted) to the level of their incompetence.

Any of several similar explanations for the nature of the universe, and for the values of its fundamental constants, that states either that the universe is as it is because otherwise we wouldn't be here to observe it, or that the very presence of intelligent life constrains the universe to be as it is.

(idiomatic, law) A legally enforceable, but incompletely specified, agreement between parties that identifies the fundamental terms that are intended to be or are agreed upon.

(psychology, psychoanalysis, Freudianism, often hyphenated when used attributively) The mental mechanism which guides a person, as he or she matures, in adapting to and coping with the real, external world, by suppressing or deferring the childish gratification-seeking desires of the id.

A method of interpretation of Bible prophecy in which the word day is considered to be symbolic of a year of actual time.

(object-oriented programming) A principle stating that any type having a subtype should be replaceable by its subtype without altering any of the desirable properties (such as correctness, task performed, etc.) of the program.

(object-oriented programming) Design principle that states that (1) High- and low-level modules should both depend on abstractions and (2) instead of abstractions depending upon details, details should depend upon abstractions.