oscillation
oscillations
Oscillation is the process of moving back and forth regularly, like the oscillation of a fan that cools off the whole room, or the oscillation of a movie plot that makes you laugh and cry.
Oscillation is from the Latin word oscillare for "to swing," so oscillation is when something is swinging back and forth. Rumor has it if you trace the word back far enough, you get to the word for “a little face” of Bacchus, Greek god of wine, people used to hang up in vineyards to swing in the breeze. When there's oscillation, something is going back and forth, like a hanging sculpture going to and fro in the backyard.
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a single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon
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synonyms:
cycle
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types:
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cardiac cycle
the complete cycle of events in the heart from the beginning of one heart beat to the beginning of the next; an electrical impulse conducted through the heart muscle that constricts the atria which is followed by constriction of the ventricles
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Carnot cycle, Carnot's ideal cycle
a cycle (of expansion and compression) of an idealized reversible heat engine that does work without loss of heat
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pass
one complete cycle of operations (as by a computer)
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menstrual cycle
a recurring cycle (beginning at menarche and ending at menopause) in which the endometrial lining of the uterus prepares for pregnancy; if pregnancy does not occur the lining is shed at menstruation
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type of:
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periodic event, recurrent event
an event that recurs at intervals
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the process of oscillating between states
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types:
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libration
(astronomy) a real or apparent slow oscillation of a moon or satellite
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type of:
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action, activity, natural action, natural process
a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
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libration
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(physics) a regular periodic variation in value about a mean
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synonyms:
vibration
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types:
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ripple
(electronics) an oscillation of small amplitude imposed on top of a steady value
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transient
(physics) a short-lived oscillation in a system caused by a sudden change of voltage or current or load
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beat
a single pulsation of an oscillation produced by adding two waves of different frequencies; has a frequency equal to the difference between the two oscillations
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resonance
a vibration of large amplitude produced by a relatively small vibration near the same frequency of vibration as the natural frequency of the resonating system
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sympathetic vibration
(physics) vibration produced by resonance
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type of:
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undulation, wave
(physics) a movement up and down or back and forth
Vocabulary lists containing oscillation
This list covers "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge."
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel follows the career of a cynical politician during the Great Depression.
This nonfiction account explores the lives and ideas of six "Founding Fathers" of the United States: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and James Madison.
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