Drift

Drift refers to a slow, continuous movement or gradual change from a starting position. It is used in various disciplines to describe displacement caused by external forces, randomness, or time. The precise meaning depends on context, ranging from physical motion to statistical change.

In physics and engineering, drift often describes the motion of particles under a persistent force, such as electric drift velocity of charges in an electric field. It also covers slower, incidental movements like wind-driven soil drift or water drift.

In geology and geomorphology, glacial drift denotes all material transported and deposited by glaciers, including till and stratified drift. Aeolian drift refers to sediment moved by wind, shaping dunes and desert landscapes.

In biology, genetic drift is a stochastic change in allele frequencies due to random sampling, especially in small populations. It can lead to the loss or fixation of alleles independently of natural selection, and is a key concept in population genetics.

In data science, concept drift describes changes in the statistical properties of a target variable over time, potentially degrading model performance. Detecting and adapting to drift is important for maintaining predictive accuracy in evolving environments.