1. In digital signal processing and computer graphics, the distortion or artifacts that occur when a signal is sampled at an insufficient rate, causing high-frequency information to be misrepresented as lower frequencies.
Usage: technical; computing
2. In computer programming, the situation in which two or more variable names or references point to the same memory location, potentially causing unintended side effects.
Usage: technical; programming

Examples

• The photographer noticed aliasing artifacts in the digital image when fine patterns were rendered at low resolution.
• Aliasing can occur in audio recording when the sampling rate is too low to capture high-frequency sounds accurately.
• The jagged edges in the video game were caused by aliasing in the graphics rendering engine.
• Programmers must be careful about aliasing when multiple pointers reference the same object.
• Anti-aliasing filters are used to reduce aliasing effects in digital signal processing.
• The checkerboard pattern appeared to shimmer due to aliasing in the downsampled image.