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Impulse vs Heartbeat - What's the difference?

impulse | heartbeat |

As nouns the difference between impulse and heartbeat

is that impulse is a thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels while heartbeat is one pulsation of the heart; especially an irregular one, hence the emotion which causes it.

As a verb impulse

is (obsolete) to impel; to incite.

impulse

Noun

(en noun)
  • A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
  • * S. Clarke
  • All spontaneous animal motion is performed by mechanical impulse .
  • A wish or urge, particularly a sudden one prompting action.
  • The impulse to learn drove me to study night and day.
    When I saw the new dictionary, I couldn't resist the impulse to browse through it.
  • * Dryden
  • These were my natural impulses for the undertaking.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
  • , title=The Dust of Conflict , chapter=20 citation , passage=Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse , but it may have been a momentary one,
  • (physics) The integral of force over time.
  • The total impulse from the impact will depend on the kinetic energy of the bullet.

    Derived terms

    * impulse buy * nerve impulse * on impulse

    References

    * * * [ impulse in the Online Etymology Dictionary]

    Verb

    (impuls)
  • (obsolete) To impel; to incite.
  • (Alexander Pope)
    ----

    heartbeat

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One pulsation of the heart; especially an irregular one, hence the emotion which causes it.
  • The policeman waited for a heartbeat in vain
    ''He alone gives me such heartbeats
  • The rhythm at which a heart pulsates, a cardiac indicator
  • ''If your heartbeat doesn't normalize soon, consult a doctor!
  • A driving impulse or vital force.
  • Music is the heartbeat of the people.
  • A very short space of time; an instant.
  • The ambulance arrived in a heartbeat .
  • (computing) A periodic signal generated by hardware or software to indicate normal operation or to synchronize other parts of a system.
  • Synonyms

    * (rhythm at which a heart pulsates) pulse

    Derived terms

    * in a heartbeat