Pro*gres"sion (?), n.
[L. progressio: cf. F. progression.]
1.
The act of moving forward; a proceeding in a course; motion onward.
2. Course; passage; lapse or process of
time.
I
hope, in a short progression,
you will be
wholly immerged in the delices and joys of religion.
Evelyn.
3. (Math.) Regular or proportional advance in increase or decrease of numbers; continued proportion,
arithmetical, geometrical, or harmonic.
4. (Mus.) A regular succession of tones or chords; the movement of the parts in harmony; the order of the
modulations in a piece from key to key.
Arithmetical progression, a progression in which the terms increase or decrease by equal differences, as the numbers
&lbrace2;2, 4, 6, 8, 10
10, 8, 6, 4,
2
&rbrace2; by the difference 2.
-- Geometrical progression, a progression in which the
terms increase or decrease by equal ratios, as the numbers
&lbrace2;2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64
64, 32, 16, 8, 4,
2
&rbrace2; by a continual multiplication or division by 2.
--
Harmonic progression, a progression in which the terms are the reciprocals of quantities in arithmetical progression, as ½,
¼, ⅙, ⅛, &frac1x10;.
Hear it pronounced