(Encyclopedia) binary system, numeration system based on powers of 2, in contrast to the familiar decimal system, which is based on powers of 10. In the binary system, only the digits 0 and 1 are…
(Encyclopedia) Dedekind, Julius Wilhelm RichardDedekind, Julius Wilhelm Richardy&oomacr;lˈy&oobreve;s vĭlˈhĕlm rĭkhˈärt dāˈdəkĭnt [key], 1831–1916, German mathematician. Dedekind studied at…
(Encyclopedia) sudoku or su dokusudokus&oomacr;dōˈk&oomacr; [key] [Jap.,=single number], a number puzzle consisting, in its classic form, of a square divided into nine squares, with each…
(Encyclopedia) transfinite number, cardinal or ordinal number designating the magnitude (power) or order of an infinite set; the theory of transfinite numbers was introduced by Georg Cantor in 1874.…
(Encyclopedia) distributive law. In mathematics, given any two operations, symbolized by * and ∘, the first operation, *, is distributive over the second, ∘, if a*(b∘c)=(a*b)∘(a*c) for all possible…
(Encyclopedia) mass number, often represented by the symbol A, the total number of nucleons (neutrons and protons) in the nucleus of an atom. All atoms of a chemical element have the same atomic…
(Encyclopedia) zero, that number which, when added to any number, leaves the latter unchanged; its symbol is 0. The introduction of zero into the decimal system was the most significant achievement…
(Encyclopedia) epidemiology, field of medicine concerned with the study of epidemics, outbreaks of disease that affect large numbers of people. Epidemiologists, using sophisticated statistical…
(Encyclopedia) numeration, in mathematics, process of designating numbers according to any particular system; the number designations are in turn called numerals. In any place value system of…
(Encyclopedia) PythagorasPythagoraspĭthăgˈərəs [key], c.582–c.507 b.c., pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, founder of the Pythagorean school. He migrated from his native Samos to Crotona and established…
