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oscillation
[ os-uh-ley-shuhn ]
/ ˌɒs əˈleɪ ʃən /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
an act or instance of oscillating.
a single swing or movement in one direction of an oscillating body.
fluctuation between beliefs, opinions, conditions, etc.
Physics.
- 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.
- a single fluctuation between maximum and minimum values in such an effect.
Mathematics.
- the difference between the least upper bound and the greatest lower bound of the functional values of a function in a given interval.
- Also called saltus. the limit of the oscillation in an interval containing a given point, as the length of the interval approaches zero.
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Words nearby oscillation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use oscillation in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for oscillation
oscillation
/ (ˌɒsɪˈleɪʃən) /
noun
physics statistics
- 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
- a single cycle of such a fluctuation
the act or process of oscillating
Derived forms of oscillation
oscillatory (ˈɒsɪlətərɪ, -trɪ), adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for oscillation
oscillation
[ ŏs′ə-lā′shən ]
A repeating fluctuation in a physical object or quantity. See also attractor harmonic motion.
A single cycle of such fluctuation.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.