pulsation

Everyday

1. A regular beat or throb, like a heartbeat. tree →
2. (science) A regular swelling and shrinking, such as a star that grows bigger and smaller, or a wave of pressure. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on the heart and blood, the pulse is the pulsation of the arteries with each heartbeat. In space science, some stars (pulsating stars) get brighter and dimmer as they swell and shrink. In music, a pulsation is a strong regular beat.

Examples

• You can feel the pulsation of blood in your wrist. tree →
• The pulsation of the music filled the hall. tree →
• The star's pulsation makes it brighter and dimmer. tree →
• The doctor felt for a pulsation in his neck. tree →
• Jellyfish move by pulsation of their bells. tree →
• Count the pulsations in fifteen seconds and multiply by four. tree →

Note

Countable or uncountable. Related: pulse, pulsate. In maths: to find beats per minute, count pulses in 15 seconds and multiply by 4 (e.g. 20 × 4 = 80 beats per minute).