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Glite Dictionary
attracter

attracter

9.9
A state a physical system moves toward over time no matter how it starts
  • noun
  • /əˈtræktər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : atractor
  • Researchers studied how different variables affect the position of the attracter in the phase space of the system.

Examples

  • The attracter in this model indicates the final state where all particles will eventually converge.

  • l HAVE ASSOClATES, ADMlRERS, THE ATTRACTER, EX-WlVES, RlVALS.

    New York Stories (1989)

  • In chaos theory, a system will evolve towards a stable attracter that defines its long-term behavior.

Synonyms

attractor
vsattracter
  • Specialized
3 9.9

A pattern that a system moves toward over time no matter where it starts

is the same concept but spelled with an -er ending instead of -or

Surface Forms

attracter singular
attracters plural

Morphology

attracter = attract (transparent) = attract + er

Formed by the verb 'attract' plus the productive agent/nominal suffix '-er', yielding 'thing that attracts'; the technical physics sense is an expected metaphorical extension.

Etymology

The word attracter comes from the root tract, which means 'to pull', the same part you see in tractor. In physics, an attracter is a point that 'pulls' a system's motion toward itself, so the name shows why things move closer to it.