ergodic
This term is highly specialized, appearing almost exclusively in the fields of statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, and information theory. It describes a system where the long-term behavior of a single element is representative of the average behavior of the entire group. In practical terms, an ergodic system is one that "mixes" thoroughly over time, ensuring that no part of the state space is permanently inaccessible.
Because it is a technical descriptor, it is rarely used in casual conversation or general literature. It is typically paired with nouns like "hypothesis," "process," or "property." Misusing it in a non-mathematical context to mean "random" or "chaotic" is a common error; ergodicity specifically refers to the equivalence between time and ensemble averages, not mere unpredictability.
Meanings
Relating to a stochastic process where the time average of a single sample is equal to the ensemble average over the entire state space.
The system is assumed to be ergodic, meaning a single trajectory will eventually visit all possible states.
In information theory, describing a source or sequence where any sufficiently long sample is representative of the entire process.
The researcher analyzed the ergodic properties of the data stream to ensure the sample was statistically significant.