autocorrelation

/ˌɔːtoʊˌkɔːrəˈleɪʃən/
noun
  1. A statistical measure that shows how a set of data points is related to itself over time, often used to find repeating patterns or trends.
    • The scientist used autocorrelation to detect a weekly cycle in the temperature data.
    • In weather forecasting, autocorrelation can show how today's temperature is related to yesterday's.
    • Autocorrelation helped the economist identify a repeating pattern in stock market prices.
  2. In signal processing, the similarity between a signal and a delayed copy of itself, used to find repeating patterns or frequencies.
    • By calculating autocorrelation, the technician could filter out noise from the recording.
    • Autocorrelation of the radar signal revealed the distance to the object.
    • The audio engineer applied autocorrelation to find the pitch of the musical note.
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