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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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Terminology for $[0,\infty)^n$

It dawned on me a couple of weeks ago that I had no idea what terminology was used for the sets $[0,\infty)^n\subseteq \mathbb{R}^n$ in general. In one dimension, it's just the half line; in two dimensions, it's a quadrant; in three dimensions, it's…
Cameron Williams
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When to use the plural form of "equation"?

For example, is the following a single equation or two equations? $$ \frac{x-1}{2} = \frac{y-2}{-4} = \frac{z+3}{1}.$$ A textbook I'm looking at refers to the above as a single equation. But I would've thought that the above involves 2 equals signs…
user46234
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Opposite terminology of relaxation

Removing a condition is a relaxation of a statement. What is the opposite? (i.e. adding a condition to a statement)
pingul
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Inversely Proportional and Inversely Related

Suppose that we have a formula like $y=\frac{1}{\sqrt{x}}$. Is it correct to say that y is inversely proportional to x? what about y is inversely related to x? If not, what other phrase should we use?
Shayan
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What is the name for the point where a non-smooth transition occurs

In the question Smooth transition between two lines (2d) there is an example of a composite curve which has a point where it is non-smooth. In general, what is the name for that transition point?
StayOnTarget
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Word describing a slice of multi-dimensional space

I'm in the market for a mathematical (or otherwise) term to describe a slice of a hypercube. Tensor is out of the running as that's the name of the object I am slicing. The second I could use a hand with is a term to describe an index (or access…
Aidan Gomez
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Whether to use 'OR' or 'AND'

My doubt is: while solving equations or inequalities consisting of absolute values when should we use the conjunction 'OR' and when to use 'AND'? whats the difference between them ?
mgh
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What is this method of scaling called? Can it be generalised?

Consider the problem of finding the values of $\alpha_1, \alpha_2, ..., \alpha_k$, subject to constraints, such that the following equation is satisfied \begin{equation} \alpha_1 x_1 + \alpha_2 x_2 + \dots \alpha_k x_k = P \end{equation} where all…
Alex
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"-in" term in equation

I found the following equation in an article and I don't understand what the "in" term means. It's not a variable nor a parameter. The article can be found in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2980374/#FD4 (equation 15). Thanks.
Alejandro
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If $x \rightarrow \lambda x$ is called scaling of $x$, what is the transformation $x^\lambda$ called?

What do you call, in general, the transformation $x^\lambda$ when $\lambda$ is any arbitrary number? When $\lambda$ is 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively, do you think it is meaningful to call this a quadratic, cubic, quartic, quintic (respectively)…
Alex
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A set together with its subset

Are there any particular term for a pair $(U;A)$ where $U$ is a set and $A\in\mathscr{P}U$? That is, saying informally, $(U;A)$ is a set $A$ together with a set $U$ on which $A$ is defined ($A$ is defined as a subset of $U$).
porton
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A function whose arguments can be restored from the value

Let $f$ is a $n$-ary function (where $n$ is any index set) and let every argument of $f$ may be zero or non-zero (for example, we can consider arguments of $n$ being posets with least element which I call "zero"). Are there any special name for such…
porton
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What does it mean when someone say "as long as a value (say x) is linear in another value (say n)"?

I was reading about bucket sort and then I came to the following statement: "As long as the input has the property that the sum of the squares of the bucket sizes is linear in total number of elements ..." What does it actually mean? Suppose…
user1781024
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What does a left-continuous version of a function mean?

I'm reading Extreme Value Theory: An Introduction by Laurens de Haan and Ana Ferreira. I've had some trouble following the way they throw around concepts, but this is something I'm really having hard time with. "Let $f$ be any nondecreasing…
Matias Heikkilä
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Is "angle between two directions" appropriate?

I know vectors have both a magnitude and a direction, and I know that one may calculate the angle between two vectors. I am reviewing an academic paper where one of the author has written " This is especially true when the angle between direction of…
Julian Wittische
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