The method or result of estimating unknown values by extending a known pattern, trend, or sequence beyond observed data.
From 'extrapolate,' combining Latin 'extra' (beyond) + 'polatus' (estimated). The noun form emerged in mathematical literature by the 1870s.
Climate scientists use extrapolation to predict ice melting, but here's the catch: if weather patterns shift unexpectedly, their extrapolation becomes useless—it assumes tomorrow's world works like today's, which isn't always true.
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