infinitesimal
Use Infinitesimal in a sentence
fɪn adjective
1.
indefinitely or exceedingly small; minute: infinitesimal vessels in the circulatory system.
2.
immeasurably small; less than an assignable quantity: to an infinitesimal degree.
3.
of, pertaining to, or involving infinitesimals.
noun
4.
an infinitesimal quantity.
5.
Mathematics. a variable having zero as a limit.
00:10
Infinitesimal
is always a great word to know.
So is binary. Does it mean:
| the smallest number that is a common multiple of a given set of numbers |
| a system of numerical notation to the base 2, in which each place of a number, expressed as 0 or 1, corresponds to a power of 2 |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To infinitesimal
Collins
World English Dictionary
infinitesimal (ˌɪnfɪnɪˈtɛsɪməl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | infinitely or immeasurably small |
| 2. | maths of, relating to, or involving a small change in the value of a variable that approaches zero as a limit |
| —n | |
| 3. | maths an infinitesimal quantity |
| infini'tesimally | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
infinitesimal
1710, "infinitely small," from Mod.L. infinitesimus, coined by Ger. philosopher and mathematician Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz (1646-1716) from L. infinitus "infinite" (see infinite) + -esimus, as in centesimus "hundredth."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| infinitesimal (ĭn'fĭn-ĭ-těs'ə-məl) Pronunciation Key
Adjective Capable of having values approaching zero as a limit. Noun A function or variable continuously approaching zero as a limit. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
infinitesimal
in mathematics, a quantity less than any finite quantity yet not zero. Even though no such quantity can exist in the real number system, many early attempts to justify calculus were based on sometimes dubious reasoning about infinitesimals: derivatives were defined as ultimate ratios of infinitesimals, and integrals were calculated by summing rectangles of infinitesimal width. As a result, differential and integral calculus was originally referred to as the infinitesimal calculus. This terminology gradually disappeared as rigorous concepts of limit, continuity, and the real numbers were formulated.
Learn more about infinitesimal with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Example sentences
They would develop together, in infinitesimal stages, over millions of years.
But this temporal frame captures only a tiny portion-in fact, an infinitesimal one-of the entire future.
But you cannot weigh something to the infinitesimal number of decimal places, parts in a billion.
The antenna was an infinitesimal dipole located outside of the building, above ground.
Matching Quote
Related Searches
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
