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partial differential

American  

noun

Mathematics.
  1. an expression obtained from a given function of several variables by taking the partial derivative with respect to one of the variables and multiplying by the increment in that variable.


Etymology

Origin of partial differential

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

One said he would keep working on partial differential equations, one said he wanted to experiment with artificial intelligence and one said she had absolutely no idea.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 1, 2026

The work brings together ideas from complex analysis, partial differential equations, and geometric function theory.

From Science Daily Jan. 7, 2026

“What you’re trying to figure out is things about the shape of this free boundary,” said Carlos Kenig, a mathematician at the University of Chicago who is also an expert on partial differential equations.

From New York Times Mar. 22, 2023

Dr. Flores studies mathematical physics, partial differential equations, and harmonic analysis, so it is fitting that the theorem she chose to share on the podcast has a physics flavor.

From Scientific American Mar. 2, 2019

This is known as Lagrange’s linear partial differential equation of the first order.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 4 "Diameter" to "Dinarchus" by Various

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