nonlinear system
1
7.7
- noun
- /ˌnɒnˈlɪniər ˈsɪstəm/
- Specialized
:
sistema no lineal
- We're missing the maths to deal with nonlinear systems, systems that display chaos, systems that develop complexity.
Examples
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In engineering, a nonlinear system is one where the output cannot be directly predicted from the inputs.
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The fourth implication is that it is impossible to deal with nonlinear systems by focusing only on a few short-term variables.
Blog text (31) -
The behavior of nonlinear systems cannot be repeated.
Blog text (31) -
Nature exhibits many nonlinear systems, such as population growth or the weather, but most such systems that business and government deal with are social in nature, i.e., they concern people.
Blog text (31) -
It has been found that most nonlinear systems embody a multitude of self-similar structures that are nested within one another at different scales.
Academic text (1993) -
Scientists study the behavior of nonlinear systems to understand how small changes can lead to large effects.
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Many natural phenomena, such as weather patterns, can be described as nonlinear systems due to their complex relationships.
How Linear
- Specialized
1
7.7
- Specialized
9
7.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a system whose behavior or output is not accurately described by linear relations' is directly derived from combining 'nonlinear' (not following a straight or predictable sequence) with 'system' (a set of interacting components). This adjective+noun composition follows regular, compositional semantics and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents should be able to infer the meaning.
Etymology
Nonlinear system comes from math: linear means like a straight line, so nonlinear literally means 'not a straight line', and a system is a group of parts. Imagine parts that affect each other so their results do not 'add up neatly', and that is why the phrase means a system whose result cannot be predicted by simple rules.