parameter

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A value kept constant during an experiment, equation, calculation, or similar, but varied over other versions of the experiment, equation, calculation, etc.

   As molecular surface-to-surface contacts control both solution phenomena and surface phenomena, it is not surprising that various correlations of cohesion parameters and surface phenomena can be found.

2. 2
   noun

   A variable that describes a property or characteristic of some system (material, object, event, etc.) or some aspect thereof.

   Cohesion parameters (solubility parameters) can be used with full theoretical justification to characterize many surfaces ...

3. 3
   noun

   In the ellipse and hyperbola, a third proportional to any diameter and its conjugate, or in the parabola, to any abscissa and the corresponding ordinate.

   The parameter of the principal axis of a conic section is called the latus rectum.

4. 4
   noun

   a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves

5. 5
   noun

   a quantity (such as the mean or variance) that characterizes a statistical population and that can be estimated by calculations from sample data

6. 6
   noun

   (computer science) a reference or value that is passed to a function, procedure, subroutine, command, or program

7. 7
   noun

   any factor that defines a system and determines (or limits) its performance

8. 8
   noun

   An input variable of a function definition, that gets an actual value (argument) at execution time.

Etymology

From French paramètre, from New Latin parametrum (“parameter”), from Ancient Greek παρα- (para-, “beside”) + μέτρον (métron, “measure”).