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Characterization (mathematics)
In mathematics, a characterization of an object is a set of conditions that, while different from the definition of the object, is logically equivalent to it. To say that "Property ''P'' characterizes object ''X''" is to say that not only does ''X'' have property ''P'', but that ''X'' is the ''only'' thing that has property ''P'' (i.e., ''P'' is a defining property of ''X''). Similarly, a set of properties ''P'' is said to characterize ''X'', when these properties distinguish ''X'' from all other objects. Even though a characterization identifies an object in a unique way, several characterizations can exist for a single object. Common mathematical expressions for a characterization of ''X'' in terms of ''P'' include "''P'' is necessary and sufficient for ''X''", and "''X'' holds if and only if ''P''". It is also common to find statements such as "Property ''Q'' characterizes ''Y'' up to isomorphism". The first type of statement says in different words that the extension of ''P' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics with the major subdisciplines of number theory, algebra, geometry, and analysis, respectively. There is no general consensus among mathematicians about a common definition for their academic discipline. Most mathematical activity involves the discovery of properties of abstract objects and the use of pure reason to prove them. These objects consist of either abstractions from nature orin modern mathematicsentities that are stipulated to have certain properties, called axioms. A ''proof'' consists of a succession of applications of deductive rules to already established results. These results include previously proved theorems, axioms, andin case of abstraction from naturesome basic properties that are considered true starting poin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Categorization
Categorization is the ability and activity of recognizing shared features or similarities between the elements of the experience of the world (such as objects, events, or ideas), organizing and classifying experience by associating them to a more abstract group (that is, a category, class, or type), on the basis of their traits, features, similarities or other criteria that are universal to the group. Categorization is considered one of the most fundamental cognitive abilities, and as such it is studied particularly by psychology and cognitive linguistics. Categorization is sometimes considered synonymous with classification (cf., Classification synonyms). Categorization and classification allow humans to organize things, objects, and ideas that exist around them and simplify their understanding of the world. Categorization is something that humans and other organisms ''do'': "doing the right thing with the right ''kind'' of thing." The activity of categorizing things can be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Convex Function
In mathematics, a real-valued function is called convex if the line segment between any two points on the graph of the function lies above the graph between the two points. Equivalently, a function is convex if its epigraph (the set of points on or above the graph of the function) is a convex set. A twice-differentiable function of a single variable is convex if and only if its second derivative is nonnegative on its entire domain. Well-known examples of convex functions of a single variable include the quadratic function x^2 and the exponential function e^x. In simple terms, a convex function refers to a function whose graph is shaped like a cup \cup, while a concave function's graph is shaped like a cap \cap. Convex functions play an important role in many areas of mathematics. They are especially important in the study of optimization problems where they are distinguished by a number of convenient properties. For instance, a strictly convex function on an open set has n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gamma Function
In mathematics, the gamma function (represented by , the capital letter gamma from the Greek alphabet) is one commonly used extension of the factorial function to complex numbers. The gamma function is defined for all complex numbers except the non-positive integers. For every positive integer , \Gamma(n) = (n-1)!\,. Derived by Daniel Bernoulli, for complex numbers with a positive real part, the gamma function is defined via a convergent improper integral: \Gamma(z) = \int_0^\infty t^ e^\,dt, \ \qquad \Re(z) > 0\,. The gamma function then is defined as the analytic continuation of this integral function to a meromorphic function that is holomorphic in the whole complex plane except zero and the negative integers, where the function has simple poles. The gamma function has no zeroes, so the reciprocal gamma function is an entire function. In fact, the gamma function corresponds to the Mellin transform of the negative exponential function: \Gamma(z) = \mathcal M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bohr–Mollerup Theorem
In mathematical analysis, the Bohr–Mollerup theorem is a theorem proved by the Danish mathematicians Harald Bohr and Johannes Mollerup. The theorem characterizes the gamma function, defined for by :\Gamma(x)=\int_0^\infty t^ e^\,dt as the ''only'' positive function , with domain on the interval , that simultaneously has the following three properties: * , and * for and * is logarithmically convex. A treatment of this theorem is in Artin's book ''The Gamma Function'', which has been reprinted by the AMS in a collection of Artin's writings. The theorem was first published in a textbook on complex analysis, as Bohr and Mollerup thought it had already been proved. Statement :Bohr–Mollerup Theorem. is the only function that satisfies with convex and also with . Proof Let be a function with the assumed properties established above: and is convex, and . From we can establish :\Gamma(x+n)=(x+n-1)(x+n-2)(x+n-3)\cdots(x+1)x\Gamma(x) The purpose of the st ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Characterization Of Probability Distributions In mathematics in general, a characterization theorem says that a particular object – a function, a space, etc. – is the only one that possesses properties s |
