catastrophe theory

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. a theory, based on topology, for studying discontinuous processes and the mathematical models that describe them.

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catastrophe theory British  

noun

1. 1. a mathematical theory that classifies surfaces according to their form

   2. the popular application of this theory to the explanation of abruptly changing phenomena, as by the discontinuity of a line on the topmost fold of a folded surface

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Etymology

Origin of catastrophe theory

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

John Paulos, mathematics professor at Philadelphia's Temple University, has worked out a way to plumb the anatomy of a joke by applying to it a marvelous flight of mathematical wizardry known as the catastrophe theory.

From Time Magazine Archive