| 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 |
| 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. |
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.
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