Questions tagged [terminology]
For questions about terms, definitions and related concepts used in science and mathematics.
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What is the origin of the negation ( ¬ ) operator from logic?
I'm curious as to what the rationale was, and who the idea occurred to, for the ¬ symbol. I'll grant that more common mathematical symbols like +, −, × and ÷ are also likely unknown, but they seem to ...
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Did Kronecker's "ganzen Zahlen" refer to whole numbers as natural numbers or integers?
Maybe this is a question better for German language Stack Exchange, but in the quote attributed to Kronecker:
Die ganzen Zahlen hat der liebe Gott gemacht, alles andere ist Menschenwerk.
So "...
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Origin of the term "affixe"/"affix" in the geometric treatment of complex numbers
In current French mathematical tradition, when introducing complex numbers, it is common to hear about "complex plane of Argand-Cauchy".
What is particular in French treatment, it is the ...
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At what point did "Archean" go from meaning the entire Precambrian to just the middle part?
I can't find the exact date when the Archean began to mean "the middle of the Precambrian", as opposed to the beginning or the whole thing. It is some time after 1925 and before 1972.
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Why is $T_{\mu\nu}$ the Standard Notation for the Stress-Energy-Momentum Tensor
My question is simple: why do we use $T_{\mu\nu}$ to denote the stress energy momentum tensor, and when was the concept of the stress energy tensor first (or roughly the first) introduced (and by whom)...
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First use of "Spur" (trace) for linear maps / matrices
Every student of linear algebra learns about the trace of a linear map. Its easiest (albeit not most conceptual) definition is: write the map as matrix, then the trace is the sum of the diagonal ...
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Why is the letter $b$ used to represent the y-intercept in the equation of straight line?
The slope-intercept form of a non-vertical line is $y=mx+b$. I have been told that the slope is called $m$ because it is the first letter of the French word for mountain. But why is there the letter $...
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Why is thermodynamics called thermodynamics?
Thermodynamics is derived from two Greek words
Therme, which means heat
Dynamis, which means power
We know that 'thermodynamics' encapsulates many concepts like energy, temperature, entropy, exergy, ...
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Who proclaimed separation of science from philosophy?
Historically (since 2500 years ago), philosophy - "love of wisdom" in Greek - encompassed all intellectual endeavors, and natural philosophy was seen as its part. However, these days the ...
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What is the earliest use of the $\perp\!\!\!\!\perp$ symbol in statistics to denote statistical independence?
The symbol $\perp\!\!\!\!\perp$ in statistics is a way to denote statistical independence of a collection of random variables. I have seen two forms of it. The first is highly suitable in writing ...
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First example of regularization
Background:
I like to think of L'Hospital as one of the earliest authors of least-squares regression.
L'Hospital, G. (1696). L'analyse des infiniment petits pour l'intelligence des lignes
courbes.
I'm ...
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Formal logic as a synonym to syllogistic logic, or as a name for the study of logic?
On page 443, section 1.1 Expanding to Contradiction, in José Ferreirós' A Road To Modern Logic - An Interpretation, the following is written:
Philosophical conceptions of logic have been complex and ...
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Context of the discovery of ultraproducts
Łoś's theorem is a fundamental theorem in model theory (a branch of mathematical logic).
Historical question: What was Łoś's original motivation to define ultraproducts and prove Łoś's theorem? Which ...
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Who, between Cayley and Hamilton, first worked on the theorem that bears their name?
I know that Frobenius is the one who proved the Cayley-Hamilton theorem in all its generality. However, between Cayley and Hamilton, who did first work on the subject?
In English: Cayley–Hamilton ...
user16484
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What or who is Peloritan in the name "Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti"?
The University of Messina has a scientific organization and publication "Accademia Peloritana dei Pericolanti", see 1. What is the origin and meaning of the word "peloritana"?
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