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Alternation vs Alternating - What's the difference?

alternation | alternating |

As a noun alternation

is the reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence; as, the alternation of day and night, cold and heat, summer and winter, hope and fear.

As a verb alternating is

present participle of lang=en.

As an adjective alternating is

that alternates.

alternation

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • The reciprocal succession of (normally two) things in time or place; the act of following and being followed by turns; alternate succession, performance, or occurrence; as, the alternation of day and night, cold and heat, summer and winter, hope and fear.
  • The response of the congregation speaking alternately with the minister.
    • (Mason)
  • (linguistics) Ablaut.
  • (logic) The "inclusive or " truth function.
  • (mathematics) A sequence that alternates between positive and negative values. (Sometimes wrongly used to mean a permutation.)
  • (computing) A construct in a regular expression that can match any of several specified subexpressions.

    • alternating

    English

    Verb

    (head)

    • Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • that alternates
  • (mathematics, of a knot) Having a planar diagram whose crossings alternate between "over" and "under" as one travels along the knot.
  • (mathematics, of a series) Having terms that alternate between positive and negative.

    • Derived terms

    * alternating current