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Definition of perturbation - 5 dictionary results

per⋅tur⋅ba⋅tion

  [pur-ter-bey-shuhn]
Use perturbation in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1325–75; < L perturbātiōn- (s. of perturbātiō; see perturb, -ation ); r. ME perturbacioun < AF < L, as above

Related forms:
per⋅tur⋅ba⋅tion⋅al, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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per·tur·ba·tion   (pûr'tər-bā'shən)   
n.  
    1. The act of perturbing.
    2. The state of being perturbed; agitation.
    3. A small change in a physical system.
    4. Physics & Astronomy Variation in a designated orbit, as of a planet, resulting from the influence of one or more external bodies.
    1. A small change in a physical system.
    2. Physics & Astronomy Variation in a designated orbit, as of a planet, resulting from the influence of one or more external bodies.
per'tur·ba'tion·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Perturbation

Per`tur*ba"tion\, n. [L. perturbatio: cf. F. perturbation.]

1. The act of perturbing, or the state of being perturbed; esp., agitation of mind.

2. (Astron.) A disturbance in the regular elliptic or other motion of a heavenly body, produced by some force additional to that which causes its regular motion; as, the perturbations of the planets are caused by their attraction on each other. --Newcomb.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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perturbation   (pûr'tər-bā'shən)  Pronunciation Key 
  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 that was causing the perturbation—the planet Pluto. Perturbations in the orbits of stars have led to the discovery of planetary systems outside of our Solar system.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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perturbation

in astronomy, deviation in the motion of a celestial object caused either by the gravitational force of a passing object or by a collision with it. For example, predicting the Earth's orbit around the Sun would be rather straightforward were it not for the slight perturbations in its orbital motion caused by the gravitational influence of the other planets. The search for an eighth planet, which culminated in the discovery of Neptune, was undertaken in part because some astronomers believed that the orbit of Uranus was being gravitationally perturbed by some object beyond it.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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