definitions

characteristic function

noun Mathematics.

a function defined on a given set, having value 1 for every element of the set and value 0 for every element not contained in the set.
characteristic polynomial.

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Nearby words

characterisation, characterise, characteristic, characteristic curve, characteristic equation, characteristic function, characteristic polynomial, characteristic root, characteristic vector, characteristic velocity, characteristic x-ray

Origin of characteristic function

First recorded in 1875–80
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for characteristic function

characteristic function

noun

maths a function that assigns the value 1 to the members of a given set and the value 0 to its nonmembers
statistics a function derived from the probability distribution function that enables the distribution of the sum of given random variables to be analysed
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012