alternating

Academic Word List, sublist 5.

About 4.84 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. verb present participle and gerund of alternate
2. adjective That alternates.

   alternating motion

3. adjective Having a planar diagram whose crossings alternate between "over" and "under" as one travels along the knot.
4. adjective Having terms that alternate between positive and negative.
5. adjective Whose value is zero when any two adjacent arguments are equal.

Similar words

cyclical cyclic reciprocating alternative rotating toggling oscillating switching interchanging fluctuating

Often followed by

current with between currents voltage the layers periods in and

Word family

alter alterable alteration alterations altered altering alternate alternatingly alters