Markov chain

American  

[mahr-kawf] / ˈmɑr kɔf /

Or Markoff chain

noun

Statistics.

1. a Markov process restricted to discrete random events or to discontinuous time sequences.

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Markov chain British  

/ ˈmɑːkɒf /

noun

1. statistics a sequence of events the probability for each of which is dependent only on the event immediately preceding it

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Etymology

Origin of Markov chain

First recorded in 1940–45; see origin at Markov process

Example Sentences

These rules could be decomposed into two sets that dominate at distinct length scales -- Markov chain and random nuclei.

From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2023

My ego would like me to believe that my writing process is a little more complicated than a Markov chain.

From The Verge • May 9, 2018

Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis was run for 100 million steps, 10% of which were removed as burn-in and sampled every 10,000 steps.

From Nature • May 12, 2015