Definition:Perturbation Theory
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Definition
Perturbation Theory is a branch of applied mathematics which studies systems by investigating their behaviour when certain parameters are changed slghtly.
That is, it is the study of the effects of small disturbances.
Also see
- Results about perturbation theory can be found here.
Historical Note
The discipline of perturbation theory was effectively initiated by Isaac Newton in his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, in his analysis of the Sun's gravitational effect on the Moon.
Sources
- 1998: James G. Simmonds and James E. Mann, Jr.: A First Look at Perturbation Theory (2nd ed.) ... (next): Chapter $1$: Introduction and Overview