backstepping

English

Etymology

From back +‎ stepping.

Noun

backstepping (uncountable)

1. (control theory) A technique for designing stabilizing controls for a special recursive class of nonlinear dynamical systems.
2. (geology) A gradual backward movement of organisms or a sedimentary environment caused by changes in environmental factors.
   • 2009 April 16, Andrew C. Revkin, “Coral Fossils Suggest That Sea Level Can Rise Rapidly”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Once the sea level stabilized again, the same group of corals grew once more, but farther inshore and up to 10 feet higher in elevation, a process known to geologists as backstepping.

Anagrams

• stepping back