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Questions tagged [terminology]

Questions on the usage and meaning of words in mathematics, the names for mathematical entities, and other such questions.

Terminology is a discipline that studies, among other things, the development of terms and their interrelationships. This tag is intended to be used for questions on the usage and meaning of words in mathematics, the names for mathematical entities, and other such questions.

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What's the proper mathematical name for the Lorentz "inner product" on Minkowski space?

Physicists tend to call the spacetime interval $(\Delta s)^2$ an "inner product," where $(\Delta s)^2=(\Delta t)^2-(\Delta x)^2-(\Delta y)^2-(\Delta z)^2$ up to factors of $c$ and an overall minus sign. But it's not really an inner product, since it…
WillG
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Set of all finite sequences

Does the set of all finite sequnces contain infinite sequences? In other words the set of all $(a_{i})_{i=1..N}$ . It looks like we can construct any infinite sequence since if we want to go one index ahead we just pick the next finite etc
Second
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Term for "functions that have a closed-form expression in terms of base functions $B$"?

Suppose we have a set of "basic" functions $B=\{+,-,\cdot,/,\exp,\log,\sin \}$, and we want to define: The set of functions $F_B$ which can be defined as $f(x)=\textit{application of elements of }B$. Is there a term for this? I originally…
user56834
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Is there a noun to express the property of a mathematical object being uni-, bi-, tri- etc. -variate?

Maybe a weird question, but what is the best way to speak of the fact that a certain mathematical object can have the property of being uni-, bi-, tri- etc. -variate, if one wants to speak about it in general terms? Possible nouns could be…
Iridium
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Terminology for tuples in non-Cartesian space

If I have an $x, y$ Cartesian coordinate this could be described as a 2-tuple in $\mathbb{R}^2$ space. What if I have an angle, $\theta$, in radians, what space is this in? I am tempted to say $\mathbb{R}^1$, but the angle in radians is bounded and…
Morgoth
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Scalar-valued function definition

A scalar-valued function is defined to be a function with a single number as its output. What is the logical origins of giving this type of function the name “scalar-valued”. It seems like a misleading name because a scalar is supposed to only have…
user532874
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What is the name for the relation $x + y = \text{const.}$?

In my thesis, I want to explain that my experiment was set up in such a way that the sum of the two concentrations $~x~$ and $~y~$ is always constant, $$ x + y = \text{const.} $$ Is there a simple and concise term for this? I'm thinking of something…
PoorYorick
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Mathematical term for the largest integer multiple that is less than or equal to a given value

I would like to ask if there is a mathematical term for "the largest integer multiple of $n$ that is less than or equal to $a$". In software engineering, this is commonly implemented as $(a / n)\cdot n$ or $a − (a \% n)$ where both $a$ and $n$ are…
Rudolf Adamkovic
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General expression/phrase for "less / greater than or equal to"?

There is the expression / phrase "strict inequality" for mathematical expressions like -2 < 1 or 1/2 > - 1/2. Is there an equivalent "short" expression where the equality is included in the relation? "Unstrict inequality" does not "feel"…
Clive Long
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Is there a term for a function being "invariant under permutations of the parameters"?

Suppose we have a function $f:X^n\to S$. And suppose we know that $f$ has the property that it is invariant under permuting the parametera. E.g. if $n=2$, then $f(x,y)=f(y,x)$ for any $x,y$. Is there a name for this property?
user56834
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Null element of a binary operation

For a binary (commutative) operation $*$ over a set $S$ the identity element is an element $i\in S$ such that $$\bigl(\forall x\in\ S \bigr)\bigl(i*x=x\bigr)$$ Is it correct/common to call an element $a\in S$ such that $$\bigl(\forall x\in\ S…
J.Ask
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Is there a more formal way of saying "side of an equation"?

I've been thinking about it, and the term "side of an equation" (in reference to an equation such as $x^2 + x + 1 = 0$) doesn't seem like a very formal way of trying to describe the expressions on either side of an equal sign. My reasoning is that…
jstowell
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What is the etymology of the term "reduction" in the context of "reducing problem A to problem B?"

I teach a theory of computation course and each quarter a student asks me about why reductions between problems are called "reductions." I am not fully sure why this is - saying that "problem A reduces to problem B" often involves turning a…
templatetypedef
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Explanation of notation: a probability space equipped with measure P( . )

In a lecture I attended today, the professor made an off-hand comment of: "Suppose we have the set $S_n$ of permutations of $\{1, 2, ..., n\}$, which we can think of as a probability space equipped with measure $P( . )$." I'm not sure what this…
Undercover Mathematician
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Are all group of mathematical notations a mathematical statement?

I am not sure if this is the right stackexchange, but I wanted to ask if all group of mathematical notations are a mathematical statement. I want to ask this, because it seems to me that it's not the case, but I don't know what are the other classes…
Sayaman
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