oscillation

[os-uh-ley-shuhn]

noun

1. an act or instance of oscillating.

2. a single swing or movement in one direction of an oscillating body.

3. fluctuation between beliefs, opinions, conditions, etc.

4. Physics.

   1. an effect expressible as a quantity that repeatedly and regularly fluctuates above and below some mean value, as the pressure of a sound wave or the voltage of an alternating current.

   2. a single fluctuation between maximum and minimum values in such an effect.

5. Mathematics.

   1. the difference between the least upper bound and the greatest lower bound of the functional values of a function in a given interval.

   2. Also called saltus. the limit of the oscillation in an interval containing a given point, as the length of the interval approaches zero.

oscillation

/ ˈɒsɪlətərɪ, ˌɒsɪˈleɪʃən, -trɪ /

noun

1. physics statistics

   1. regular fluctuation in value, position, or state about a mean value, such as the variation in an alternating current or the regular swinging of a pendulum

   2. a single cycle of such a fluctuation

2. the act or process of oscillating

oscillation

1. A repeating fluctuation in a physical object or quantity.

2. See also attractor harmonic motion

3. A single cycle of such fluctuation.

Other Word Forms

• oscillatory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of oscillation¹

1650–60; < Latin oscillātiōn- (stem of oscillātiō ) a swinging, equivalent to oscillāt ( us ) ( oscillate ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

The safety margin applied had been "negated by the unexpected onset of the large vertical oscillations, which caused the car to touch the ground", he said.

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In metals, these oscillations occur when electrons behave like tiny springs, vibrating in response to magnetic fields.

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However, interest in evolving dark energy was vigorously rekindled last year from the combination of supernovae, baryon acoustic oscillation, and cosmic microwave background data from the DES, DESI, and Planck experiments.

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Understanding a process called neutrino oscillation, where these particles change "flavors" as they move, could help explain why matter triumphed over antimatter.

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The cause of the galaxy's vast oscillations is still uncertain.

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Related Words

• vibration