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In mathematics, especially in order theory, a preorder or quasiorder is a binary relation that is reflexive and transitive. The name preorder is meant to suggest that preorders are almost partial orders, but not quite, as they are not necessarily antisymmetric.
Order of operations. In mathematics and computer programming, the order of operations is a collection of rules that reflect conventions about which operations to perform first in order to evaluate a given mathematical expression. These rules are formalized with a ranking of the operations. The rank of an operation is called its precedence, and ...
Directed set. In mathematics, a directed set (or a directed preorder or a filtered set) is a nonempty set together with a reflexive and transitive binary relation (that is, a preorder), with the additional property that every pair of elements has an upper bound. [1] In other words, for any and in there must exist in with and A directed set's ...
Hierarchy (mathematics) In mathematics, a hierarchy is a set-theoretical object, consisting of a preorder defined on a set. This is often referred to as an ordered set, though that is an ambiguous term that many authors reserve for partially ordered sets or totally ordered sets. The term pre-ordered set is unambiguous, and is always synonymous ...
Glossary of mathematical symbols. A mathematical symbol is a figure or a combination of figures that is used to represent a mathematical object, an action on mathematical objects, a relation between mathematical objects, or for structuring the other symbols that occur in a formula. As formulas are entirely constituted with symbols of various ...
Partial orders. A reflexive, weak, [1] or non-strict partial order, [2] commonly referred to simply as a partial order, is a homogeneous relation ≤ on a set that is reflexive, antisymmetric, and transitive. That is, for all it must satisfy: Reflexivity: , i.e. every element is related to itself.
Fixed point (mathematics) Element mapped to itself by a mathematical function. The function (shown in red) has the fixed points 0, 1, and 2. In mathematics, a fixed point (sometimes shortened to fixpoint), also known as an invariant point, is a value that does not change under a given transformation. Specifically, for functions, a fixed point ...
First-order approximation is the term scientists use for a slightly better answer. [3] Some simplifying assumptions are made, and when a number is needed, an answer with only one significant figure is often given ("the town has 4 × 10 3, or four thousand, residents"). In the case of a first-order approximation, at least one number given is exact.