upper bound

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. an element greater than or equal to all the elements in a given set: 3 and 4 are upper bounds of the set consisting of 1, 2, and 3.

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upper bound Scientific  

1. A number that is greater than or equal to every number in a given set.

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Example Sentences

This was a fairly arbitrary and negotiated benchmark, roughly determined by the upper bound of temperatures scientists think the Earth has ever occupied since humans first evolved millions of years ago.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2025

They determined a hypothetical upper bound for Category 5 hurricanes by looking at the expanding range of wind speeds between the lower-category storms.

From Science Daily • Feb. 5, 2024

Japan's yield cap has evolved into a reference rate, with the Bank of Japan redefining its 1% limit on 10-year government bond yields as an "upper bound" rather than a rigid target.

From Reuters • Oct. 31, 2023

There is a fundamental upper bound to the luminosity of any celestial object beyond which “the radiation observed to be emitted … would blow up the star,” Arthur Eddington wrote in an influential 1926 paper.

From Scientific American • Aug. 18, 2023

Godwin's Law thus practically guarantees the existence of an upper bound on thread length in those groups.

From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.