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differential
8 dictionary results for: differential
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
dif·fer·en·tial 
[dif-uh-ren-shuhl] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[dif-uh-ren-shuhl] Pronunciation Key –adjective
–noun
| 1. | of or pertaining to difference or diversity. |
| 2. | constituting a difference; distinguishing; distinctive: a differential feature. |
| 3. | exhibiting or depending upon a difference or distinction. |
| 4. | Physics, Machinery. pertaining to or involving the difference of two or more motions, forces, etc. |
| 5. | Mathematics. pertaining to or involving a derivative or derivatives. |
| 6. | a difference or the amount of difference, as in rate, cost, quantity, degree, or quality, between things that are comparable. |
| 7. | Also called differential gear. Machinery. an epicyclic train of gears designed to permit two or more shafts to rotate at different speeds, as a set of gears in an automobile permitting the rear wheels to be driven at different speeds when the car is turning. |
| 8. | Mathematics.
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| 9. | Commerce.
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| 10. | Physics. the quantitative difference between two or more forces, motions, etc.: a pressure differential. |
—Related forms
dif·fer·en·tial·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| dif·fer·en·tial
(dĭf'ə-rěn'shəl) Pronunciation Key
adj.
n.
dif'fer·en'tial·ly adv. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| differential | |
adjective | |
| 1. | relating to or showing a difference; "differential treatment" |
| 2. | involving or containing one or more derivatives; "differential equation" |
noun | |
| 1. | the result of mathematical differentiation; the instantaneous change of one quantity relative to another; df(x)/dx [syn: derived function] |
| 2. | a quality that differentiates between similar things |
| 3. | a bevel gear that permits rotation of two shafts at different speeds; used on the rear axle of automobiles to allow wheels to rotate at different speeds on curves [syn: differential gear] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
differential
(dĭf'ə-rěn'shəl) Pronunciation Key
|
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Investopedia - Cite This Source - Share This
Differential
The amount of adjustment of the delivery location and grade of deliverables that a futures contract permits. Also known as "allowance. "
Investopedia Commentary
Some futures contracts allow the short position to adjust the location of the delivery and/or the grade of commodity being delivered. The permitted differentials are set in relation to a central location or the par basis grade.
Related Links
Futures Fundamentals
See also: Actual, Approved Delivery Facility, Basis Grade, Certificated Stock, Delivery Instrument
Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
Wallstreet Words - Cite This Source - Share This
differential
- In commodities trading, the premium or discount in the futures contract price caused by delivering a commodity that does not exactly meet the standards fixed by the exchange. Allowances for these differentials are included in the contract specifications.
- See odd-lot differential.
Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Differential
Dif`fer*en"tial\, a. [Cf. F. diff['e]rentiel.]1. Relating to or indicating a difference; creating a difference; discriminating; special; as, differential characteristics; differential duties; a differential rate. For whom he produced differential favors. --Motley. 2. (Math.) Of or pertaining to a differential, or to differentials. 3. (Mech.) Relating to differences of motion or leverage; producing effects by such differences; said of mechanism. Differential calculus. (Math.) See under Calculus. Differential coefficient, the limit of the ratio of the increment of a function of a variable to the increment of the variable itself, when these increments are made indefinitely small. Differential coupling, a form of slip coupling used in light machinery to regulate at pleasure the velocity of the connected shaft. Differential duties (Polit. Econ.), duties which are not imposed equally upon the same products imported from different countries. Differential galvanometer (Elec.), a galvanometer having two coils or circuits, usually equal, through which currents passing in opposite directions are measured by the difference of their effect upon the needle. Differential gearing, a train of toothed wheels, usually an epicyclic train, so arranged as to constitute a differential motion. Differential motion, a mechanism in which a simple differential combination produces such a change of motion or force as would, with ordinary compound arrangements, require a considerable train of parts. It is used for overcoming great resistance or producing very slow or very rapid motion. Differential pulley. (Mach.) (a) A portable hoisting apparatus, the same in principle as the differential windlass. (b) A hoisting pulley to which power is applied through a differential gearing. Differential screw, a compound screw by which a motion is produced equal to the difference of the motions of the component screws. Differential thermometer, a thermometer usually with a U-shaped tube terminating in two air bulbs, and containing a colored liquid, used for indicating the difference between the temperatures to which the two bulbs are exposed, by the change of position of the colored fluid, in consequence of the different expansions of the air in the bulbs. A graduated scale is attached to one leg of the tube. Differential windlass, or Chinese windlass, a windlass whose barrel has two parts of different diameters. The hoisting rope winds upon one part as it unwinds from the other, and a pulley sustaining the weight to be lifted hangs in the bight of the rope. It is an ancient example of a differential motion.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Differential
Dif`fer*en"tial\, n. 1. (Math.) An increment, usually an indefinitely small one, which is given to a variable quantity. Note: According to the more modern writers upon the differential and integral calculus, if two or more quantities are dependent on each other, and subject to increments of value, their differentials need not be small, but are any quantities whose ratios to each other are the limits to which the ratios of the increments approximate, as these increments are reduced nearer and nearer to zero. 2. A small difference in rates which competing railroad lines, in establishing a common tariff, allow one of their number to make, in order to get a fair share of the business. The lower rate is called a differential rate. Differentials are also sometimes granted to cities. 3. (Elec.) (a) One of two coils of conducting wire so related to one another or to a magnet or armature common to both, that one coil produces polar action contrary to that of the other. (b) A form of conductor used for dividing and distributing the current to a series of electric lamps so as to maintain equal action in all. --Knight. Partial differential (Math.), the differential of a function of two or more variables, when only one of the variables receives an increment. Total differential (Math.), the differential of a function of two or more variables, when each of the variables receives an increment. The total differential of the function is the sum of all the partial differentials.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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