A model used to describe systems in which there is synchronization, i.e. all the parts of the system act together in a coordinated way. The model was proposed by the Japanese physicist Yoshiki Kuramoto (1940– ) in 1975 to describe the behaviour of a system consisting of a large number of similar oscillators that are weakly coupled. It has been extensively studied, as there are many applications to physical, chemical, and biological systems, as well as to engineering.