Indeterminate
Encyclopedia
Indeterminate has a variety of meanings in mathematics
:
It is also a term in botany
and gardening:
It is also used in philosophy
to describe the shortcomings of definition
:
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
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- Indeterminate (variable)Indeterminate (variable)In mathematics, and particularly in formal algebra, an indeterminate is a symbol that does not stand for anything else but itself. In particular it does not designate a constant, or a parameter of the problem, it is not an unknown that could be solved for, it is not a variable designating a...
- Indeterminate systemIndeterminate systemAn indeterminate system is a system of simultaneous equations which has infinitely many solutions or no solutions at all. The system may be said to be underspecified.-Situations:...
- Indeterminate equationIndeterminate equationAn indeterminate equation, in mathematics, is an equation for which there is an infinite set of solutions; for example, 2x = y is a simple indeterminate equation. Indeterminate equations cannot be directly solved from the given information...
- Statically indeterminateStatically indeterminateIn statics, a structure is statically indeterminate when the static equilibrium equations are insufficient for determining the internal forces and reactions on that structure....
- Indeterminate formIndeterminate formIn calculus and other branches of mathematical analysis, an indeterminate form is an algebraic expression obtained in the context of limits. Limits involving algebraic operations are often performed by replacing subexpressions by their limits; if the expression obtained after this substitution...
It is also a term in botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and gardening:
- Indeterminate growthIndeterminate growthIn biology and especially botany, indeterminate growth refers to growth that is not terminated in contrast to determinate growth that stops once a genetically pre-determined structure has completely formed. Thus, a plant that grows and produces flowers and fruit until killed by frost or some other...
It is also used in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
to describe the shortcomings of definition
Definition
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term , or a type of thing. The term to be defined is the definiendum. A term may have many different senses or meanings...
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- Indeterminacy (Philosophy)Indeterminacy (Philosophy)Indeterminacy, in philosophy, can refer both to common scientific and mathematical concepts of uncertainty and their implications and to another kind of indeterminacy deriving from the nature of definition or meaning...