anharmonic

[ an-hahr-mon-ik ]

adjective

, Physics.

1. of or relating to an oscillating system that is not undergoing simple harmonic motion.

anharmonic

/ ˌænhɑːˈmɒnɪk /

adjective

1. physics of or concerned with an oscillation whose frequency is not an integral factor or multiple of the base frequency

Word History and Origins

Origin of anharmonic¹

an- ¹ + harmonic; modeled on French anharmonique

Example Sentences

Engel, E. A., Monserrat, B. & Needs, R. J. Anharmonic nuclear motion and the relative stability of hexagonal and cubic ice.

From Nature

Anharmonic, an-har-mon′ik, adj. not harmonic: in geometry, a term applied to the section of a line by four points, A, B, C, D, when their mutual distances are such that AB divided by CB is unequal to AD divided by CD; the ratio between these two quotients being called the anharmonic ratio of AC.

From Project Gutenberg

The expression AC/CB : AD/DB has been called by Chasles the “anharmonic ratio of the four points A, B, C, D.”

From Project Gutenberg

That this formula is projective is rendered evident by observing that e−2iρ/k is the anharmonic ratio of the range consisting of the two points and the intersections of the line joining them with the fundamental quadric.

From Project Gutenberg

These were found in the anharmonic ratio, a device leading to the liberation of synthetic geometry from metrical relations, and in involution, which yielded rigorous definitions of imaginaries.

From Project Gutenberg