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OSCILLATION
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A single complete execution of a periodically repeated phenomenon
Example:
a year constitutes a cycle of the seasons
Synonyms:
cycle; oscillation
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("oscillation" is a kind of...):
periodic event; recurrent event (an event that recurs at intervals)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "oscillation"):
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)
Carnot's ideal cycle; Carnot cycle (a cycle (of expansion and compression) of an idealized reversible heat engine that does work without loss of heat)
pass (one complete cycle of operations (as by a computer))
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)
Derivation:
oscillate (move or swing from side to side regularly)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(physics) a regular periodic variation in value about a mean
Synonyms:
oscillation; vibration
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Hypernyms ("oscillation" is a kind of...):
undulation; wave ((physics) a movement up and down or back and forth)
Domain category:
natural philosophy; physics (the science of matter and energy and their interactions)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "oscillation"):
ripple ((electronics) an oscillation of small amplitude imposed on top of a steady value)
transient ((physics) a short-lived oscillation in a system caused by a sudden change of voltage or current or load)
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)
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)
sympathetic vibration ((physics) vibration produced by resonance)
Derivation:
oscillate (move or swing from side to side regularly)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The process of oscillating between states
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("oscillation" is a kind of...):
action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "oscillation"):
libration ((astronomy) a real or apparent slow oscillation of a moon or satellite)
Derivation:
oscillate (be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action)
Context examples:
Evaluating a device for problems resulting from periodic or random mechanical oscillations which could induce damage.
(Device Vibration Testing Evaluation Method, Food and Drug Administration)
The infrared radiation trapped in the silicon dioxide creates very fast electrical oscillations, about 50 trillion times a second.
(Harvesting Electrical Power from Waste Heat, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
A device designed to reduce the flow of air through a duct or an electronic device designed to decrease the amplitude of oscillations in a sytem.
(Damper Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)
The SI derived unit of frequency; equal to one million oscillations per second or to 10E6 hertz.
(Megahertz, NCI Thesaurus)
Researchers say the accelerated ice loss is caused by a combination of global warming, as well as the North Atlantic oscillation, a periodic weather phenomenon that brings warmer air to western Greenland.
(Study: Greenland's Ice Melting Faster than Previously Thought, VOA)
On the ECG it is characterized by the replacement of consistent P waves by rapid oscillations or fibrillatory waves that vary in size, shape, and timing, associated with an irregular, frequently rapid ventricular response when atrioventricular conduction is intact.
(Chronic Atrial Fibrillation, NCI Thesaurus)
Eliminating the p75NTR gene also prevented astrocytes in the brains of the mice from forming scars after injuries and restored gamma oscillations, which are patterns of neuronal activity associated with learning and memory.
(Scientists uncover nuclear process in the brain that may affect disease, NIH)
The magnitude of an oscillation.
(Amplitude, NCI Thesaurus)
A disorder characterized by an electrocardiographic finding of a supraventricular arrhythmia characterized by the replacement of consistent P waves by rapid oscillations or fibrillatory waves that vary in size, shape and timing and are accompanied by an irregular ventricular response.
(Atrial Fibrillation, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)
An electrocardiographic finding of a supraventricular arrhythmia characterized by the replacement of consistent P waves by rapid oscillations or fibrillatory waves that vary in size, shape and timing and are accompanied by an irregularly irregular ventricular response.
(Atrial Fibrillation by ECG Finding, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)
