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In mathematics, summation is the addition of a sequence of numbers, called addends or summands; the result is their sum or total.Beside numbers, other types of values can be summed as well: functions, vectors, matrices, polynomials and, in general, elements of any type of mathematical objects on which an operation denoted "+" is defined.
The sum a + b can be interpreted as a binary operation that combines a and b, in an algebraic sense, or it can be interpreted as the addition of b more units to a. Under the latter interpretation, the parts of a sum a + b play asymmetric roles, and the operation a + b is viewed as applying the unary operation +b to a. [20]
A difference equation is an equation where the unknown is a function f that occurs in the equation through f(x), f(x−1), ..., f(x−k), for some whole integer k called the order of the equation. If x is restricted to be an integer, a difference equation is the same as a recurrence relation
The roots of a polynomial expression of degree n, or equivalently the solutions of a polynomial equation, can always be written as algebraic expressions if n < 5 (see quadratic formula, cubic function, and quartic equation). Such a solution of an equation is called an algebraic solution.
As this example shows, when like terms exist in an expression, they may be combined by adding or subtracting (whatever the expression indicates) the coefficients, and maintaining the common factor of both terms. Such combination is called combining like terms or collecting like terms, and it is an important tool used for solving equations.
For example, is an expression, while the inequality is a formula. To evaluate an expression means to find a numerical value equivalent to the expression. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] Expressions can be evaluated or simplified by replacing operations that appear in them with their result.
In mathematics, summation by parts transforms the summation of products of sequences into other summations, often simplifying the computation or (especially) estimation of certain types of sums. It is also called Abel's lemma or Abel transformation , named after Niels Henrik Abel who introduced it in 1826.
5+0=5 illustrated with collections of dots. In combinatorics, the addition principle [1] [2] or rule of sum [3] [4] is a basic counting principle.Stated simply, it is the intuitive idea that if we have A number of ways of doing something and B number of ways of doing another thing and we can not do both at the same time, then there are + ways to choose one of the actions.