Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

permutation

 - 4 dictionary results
Excel Combinatorics Tool
Software and tutorial to calculate permutations and combinations
www.BeyondTechnology.com

per⋅mu⋅ta⋅tion

  [pur-myoo-tey-shuhn]
Use permutation in a Sentence
–noun
1. the act of permuting or permutating; alteration; transformation.
2. Mathematics.
a. the act of changing the order of elements arranged in a particular order, as abc into acb, bac, etc., or of arranging a number of elements in groups made up of equal numbers of the elements in different orders, as a and b in ab and ba; a one-to-one transformation of a set with a finite number of elements.
b. any of the resulting arrangements or groups. Compare combination (def. 8b).
Origin:
1325–75; ME permutacioun (< MF permutacion) < L permūtātiōn- (s. of permūtātiō) thoroughgoing change. See per-, mutation, permute

Related forms:
per⋅mu⋅ta⋅tion⋅al, adjective
per⋅mu⋅ta⋅tion⋅ist, noun

Synonyms:
1. modification, transmutation, change.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To permutation
Excel Combinatorics Tool
Software and tutorial to calculate permutations and combinations
www.BeyondTechnology.com
per·mu·ta·tion   (pûr'myŏŏ-tā'shən)   
n.  

  1. A complete change; a transformation.

  2. The act of altering a given set of objects in a group.

  3. Mathematics A rearrangement of the elements of a set.

per'mu·ta'tion·al adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

permutation 
1362, from O.Fr. permutacion (14c.), from L. permutationem (nom. permutatio), from permutatus, pp. of permutare "change thoroughly, exchange," from per- "thoroughly" + mutare "to change" (see mutable).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

permutation mathematics
1. An ordering of a certain number of elements of a given set.
For instance, the permutations of (1,2,3) are (1,2,3) (2,3,1) (3,1,2) (3,2,1) (1,3,2) (2,1,3).
Permutations form one of the canonical examples of a "group" - they can be composed and you can find an inverse permutation that reverses the action of any given permutation.
The number of permutations of r things taken from a set of n is
n P r = n! / (n-r)!
where "n P r" is usually written with n and r as subscripts and n! is the factorial of n.
What the football pools call a "permutation" is not a permutation but a combination - the order does not matter.
2. A bijection for which the domain and range are the same set and so
f(f'(x)) = f'(f(x)) = x.
(2001-05-10)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
Cite This Source
Search another word or see permutation on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way