perturbation

American  

[pur-ter-bey-shuhn] / ˌpɜr tərˈbeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of perturbing.

2. the state of being perturbed.

3. mental disquiet, disturbance, or agitation.

4. a cause of mental disquiet, disturbance, or agitation.

5. Astronomy. deviation of a celestial body from a regular orbit about its primary, caused by the presence of one or more other bodies that act upon the celestial body.

---

perturbation British  

/ ˌpɜːtəˈbeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of perturbing or the state of being perturbed

2. a cause of disturbance or upset

3. physics a secondary influence on a system that modifies simple behaviour, such as the effect of the other electrons on one electron in an atom

4. astronomy a small continuous deviation in the inclination and eccentricity of the orbit of a planet or comet, due to the attraction of neighbouring planets

---

perturbation Scientific  

/ pûr′tər-bā′shən /

1. A small change in a physical system, most often in a physical system at equilibrium that is disturbed from the outside.

2. Variation in a designated orbit, as of a planet, that results from the influence of one or more external bodies. Gravitational attraction between planets can cause perturbations and cause a planet to deviate from its expected orbit. Perturbations in Neptune's orbit led to the discovery of the object—Pluto—that was causing the perturbation. Perturbations in the orbits of stars have led to the discovery of planetary systems outside of our Solar system.

---

Other Word Forms

• perturbational adjective

Etymology

Origin of perturbation

1325–75; < Latin perturbātiōn- (stem of perturbātiō; perturb, -ation ); replacing Middle English perturbacioun < Anglo-French < Latin, as above

Example Sentences

How vulnerable is it to self-dealing, business-cycle perturbations, and other high-risk bets, regardless of whether it is funded by way of loans or investments?

From Barron's

But with 76 years of data to measure against, “we can provide the context needed to answer the question of, how big of a perturbation is this event?”

From Los Angeles Times

Yet this solution is imperfect: while successful at stabilizing the plasma, applying these magnetic perturbations typically leads to lower overall performance.

From Science Daily

Carbon cycle models calibrated with paleoclimate datasets form the basis for scientists' understanding of the global marine carbon cycle and how it responds to natural perturbations.

From Science Daily

It's also regarded as a potential tipping element of the Earth's climate, meaning that a tiny perturbation could push the system to a point of no return.

From Science Daily