Parameter

Domain	Definitions
Computing	Parameter argument. Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing.
Aerospace	1. In general, any quantity of a problem that is not an independent variable. More specifically, the term is often used to distinguish, from dependent variables, quantities which may be assigned more or less arbitrary values for purposes of the problem at hand. 2. In statistical terminology, any numerical constant derived from a population or a probability distribution. Specifically, it is an arbitrary constant in the mathematical expression of a probability distribution. For example, in the distribution given by f(z) = ae-ax the constant a is a parameter.3. In celestial mechanics , the semi-latus rectum. (references)
Avian	(1) A statistical parameter is a numerical characteristic about the population of interest (Freedman et al. 1978:301); (2) A model parameter is a numerical quantity that mediates the relationships between variables in a model (Starfield and Bleloch 1986:4). (references)
Environment	A variable, measurable property whose value is a determinant of the characteristics of a system; e.g. temperature, pressure, and density are parameters of the atmosphere. (references)
Math	A measurable or derived variable representedby the data (e.g. air temperature, snow depth, relative humidity. (references)
Mathematics	This word occurs in its customary mathematical meaning of an unknown quantity which may vary over a certain set of values. In statistics it most usually occurs in expressions defining frequency distributions(population parameters)or in models describing stochastic situation(e. g. regression parameters). The domain of permissible variation of the parameters defines the class of population or model under consideration. Source: European Union. (references)
Mining	A. A constant or variable in a mathematical expression that distinguishes various specific situations. b. In crystallography, one of the three non-coplanar vectors whichdescribe a lattice. Syn:lattice parameter. (references)
Science	A constant whose values determine the specific form or characteristics of an expression. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Specialty Definition: Parameter

A parameter is a measurement or value on which something else depends.

For example, a parametric equaliser is a tone control circuit that allows the frequency of maximum cut or boost to be set by one control, and the size of the cut or boost by another. These settings, the frequency and level of the peak or trough, are two of the parameters of a frequency response curve, and in a two-control equaliser they completely describe the curve. More elaborate parametric equalisers may allow other parameters to be varied, such as skew. These parameters each describe some aspect of the response curve seen as a whole, over all frequencies. By way of contrast, a graphic equaliser provides individual level controls for various frequency bands, each of which acts only on that particular frequency band.

In mathematics there is little difference in meaning between parameter and argument of a function. It is usually a matter of convention (and therefore a historical accident) whether some or all the arguments of a function are called parameters. The best way to explain this is to illustrate it with examples.

In computing the parameters passed to a function subroutine are more normally called arguments.

In logic the parameters passed to (or operated on by) an open predicate are called variables.

Analytic geometry

In analytic geometry, curves are often given as the image of some function. The argument of the function is invariably called "the parameter". A circle of radius 1 centered at the origin can be specified in more than one form:

"implicit" form

"parametric" form

where t is the "parameter".

Mathematical analysis

In mathematical analysis, one often considers "integrals dependent on a parameter". These are of the form

Now, if we performed the substitution x=g(y), it would be called a "change of variable".

Probability theory

In probability theory, one may describe the distribution of a random variable as belonging to a family of probability distributions, distinguished from each other by the values of a finite number of parameters. For example, one talks about "a Poisson distribution with mean value λ", or "a normal distribution with mean μ and variance σ²". The latter formulation and notation leaves some ambiguity whether σ or σ² is the second parameter; the distinction is not always relevant.

It is possible to use the sequence of moments (mean, mean square, ...) or cumulants (mean, variance, ...) as parameters for a probability distribution.

Statistics

In statistics, the probability framework above still holds, but attention shifts to estimating the parameters of a distribution based on observed data, or testing hypotheses about them. In classical estimation these parameters are considered "fixed but unknown", but in Bayesian estimation they are random variables with distributions of their own.

Statistics are mathematical characteristics of samples which are used as estimates of parameters, mathematical characteristics of the populations from which the samples are drawn. For example, the sample mean () is an estimate of the mean parameter (μ) of the population from which the sample was drawn.

Computer

On the computer, parameters are used to differentiate behavior or pass input data to computer programs or their subprograms. See parameter for detail.

Parameter (computer science)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

In computer science, parameters are a way of allowing the same sequence of commands to operate on different data without re-specifying the instructions.

For example, take the following list of instructions:

Take an object.
Break it into little pieces.
Throw it away.

In this case, the object that the instructions are to operate on is the parameter. If we give this process a name like Destroy, then referring to Destroy followed by the desired object will perform the actions on that object.

For instance:

Destroy rock.
Destroy cake.
Destroy car.

will apply the instructions above to a rock, cake, and car respectively.

The sequence of instructions is usually made into a subprogram and the object to operate on is specified while invoking the subprogram. The actual value given to a subprogram while invoking it, viz. rock, cake or car is called an actual parameter or an argument and the placeholder within the subprogram used to describe the operations on the argument is called a formal parameter or simply a parameter.

Calling conventions

Parameters can be passed to subprograms in several ways:

In the call-by-value mechanism, a copy of each parameter is passed to the subprogram. If the subprogram modifies a parameter, it is merely modifying its own copy. Therefore, such modifications are not "visible" to the caller, in the sense that the caller's copy of that datum is unaffected. Since this mechanism only copies data from the caller, the actual parameter can be any expression.
In the call-by-result mechanism, the parameter is not initialized at the start of the subprogram, and its value at the end of the subprogram is copied back into the caller's copy of the parameter. Since this mechanism copies data to the caller, the actual parameter must be an lvalue.
In the call-by-reference mechanism, the caller passes a reference to each parameter. This means the caller and the subprogram are both manipulating the same datum, so when such a subprogram modifies one of its parameters, the modification is visible from the caller's perspective as well. Call-by-reference can be simulated in some call-by-value languages like C via pointers: each pointer behaves like a reference to some datum, and while changes to the pointer itself are not visible by the caller (because the pointer was passed by value), modifications to the referenced datum are visible. Since both the caller and subprogram manipulate the same datum, the parameter must be an lvalue.
In the call-by-copy-restore mechanism, a copy of each parameter is passed to the subprogram. After the subprogram finishes execution, the values of the parameters are copied back to the caller's copy of that datum. This may not have the same effect as call by reference in multi-threaded programs, if another thread accesses the parameter while the subprogram is still executing in a thread. Similar to the call-by-result mechanism, call-by-copy-restore requires an lvalue. This mechanism is also known as call-by-value-result.
In the call-by-macro-expansion mechanism, the names of formal parameters in the subprogram are substituted by the names of actual parameters in the caller. This can result in the problem of name capture, as demonstrated below:

      swap (a, b)
      {
         tmp = a;
         a = b;
         b = tmp;
      }

When swap (x, tmp) is called by macro-expansion (where x has the value 42 and tmp has the value 64), the effect is for the caller to execute the following:

      tmp = x;
      x = tmp;
      tmp = tmp;

This places the value 42 in both x and temp.

Actual parameters in call-by-macro-expansion do not necessarily need to be lvalues, but errors may occur with certain usages if they are not.

In the call-by-name mechanism, any expression passed as a parameter is not evaluated until it is used in the subprogram. At each point it is used, it is evaluated and the resulting value substituted. The subprogram may also modify data if the evaluated expresssion is an lvalue.

Call by name may also not have the same effect as call by reference or copy-restore, as can be seen by the following example:

      swap (a, b)
      {
         tmp = a;
         a = b;
         b = tmp;
      }

When swap (i, a[i]) is called by name (where a[i] represents the ith element of an array a, if i happens to have the value 9, what happens is the following:

After tmp = a, tmp becomes 9.

After a = b, a (which evaluates to i) gets the value stored in a[9] and hence i also gets that value.

In b = tmp, b evaluates to a[i] but by now i has the value stored in a[9]. Hence a[a[9]] is modified and not a[9] as intended. On the other hand call by reference and by copy-restore would both correctly swap the values stored in i and a[i].

As with call-by-macro-expansion, call-by-name parameters do not necessarily need to be lvalues, but depending on the usage, problems may occur if they are not.

The call-by-need mechanism is similar to call-by-name, but each of the actual parameters is evaluated when first used and the resulting value is substituted for all subsequent uses of the formal parameter in the subprogram. As with call-by-macro-expansion, call-by-need parameters do not necessarily need to be lvalues, but depending on the usage, problems may occur if they are not.

On a more conceptual level, one may distinguish between parameters for input, for output or both. Virtually all older programming languages regard output and both as identical, but more modern languages as C# make a distinction.

On the technical level, input parameters are implemented as by value, while the other two types are implemented as by reference.

Commercial Usage: Parameter

Non-Fiction Usage: Parameter

Usage Frequency: Parameter

Expressions: Parameter

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Parameter

Modern Translations: Parameter

Language		Translations for "parameter"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.
Albanian		parametër (rating), faktor kufizues. (various references)

Arabic		‏عامل متغير في التجربة. (various references)

Bulgarian		параметър. (various references)

Chinese		参量. (various references)

Czech		parametr, charakteristika. (various references)

Danish		parameter (dummy argument, dummy parameter, formal parameter). (various references)

Dutch		parameter. (various references)

Esperanto		parametro. (various references)

Farsi		پارامتر, مقداری ازیک مدار, مقدارمعلوم ومشخص , نسبت میان تقاطع دوسطح . (various references)

Finnish		parametri, muodollinen parametri (dummy argument, dummy parameter, formal parameter). (various references)

French		paramètre. (various references)

German		Parameter (parameters). (various references)

Greek		παράμετρος (argument, dummy argument, dummy parameter, formal parameter), εικονικό όρισμα (dummy argument, dummy parameter, formal parameter), εικονική παράμετρος (dummy argument, dummy parameter, formal parameter), τυπική παράμετρος (dummy argument, dummy parameter, formal parameter). (various references)

Hebrew		פרמטר. (various references)

Hungarian		segédváltozó (auxiliary variable), paraméter. (various references)

Italian		parametro (dummy argument, dummy parameter, formal parameter). (various references)

Japanese Kanji		パラフィン紙 (parabola, parabola antenna, paraffin paper, parallax, parallel, Paralympics, paramedical, parameter file, parametric, parametron, paraphrase), �'介変数 . (various references)

Japanese Katakana		パラメーター , パラメータ , パラメタ , ばいかいへ�"すう. (various references)

Korean		매개변수. (various references)

Pig Latin		arameterpay.(various references)

Portuguese		parâmetro (paramilitary). (various references)

Romanian		parametru, indice (index), caracteristicã (characteristic, impress, mode, note, particularity, quiddity, speciality, specific feature). (various references)

Russian		параметр (argument). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian		parametar, obim (ambit, amplitude, bulk, circumference, extent, girth, latitude, perimeter, scope, volume). (various references)

Spanish		parámetro (caliber, calibre). (various references)

Swedish		parameter. (various references)

Turkish		parametre, katsayı (coefficient, exponent, factor, multiple), karakteristik özellik. (various references)

Ukranian		параметр. (various references)

Vietnamese		tham số, tham biến. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references.

Ancestral Language Translations: Parameter

Derivations & Misspellings: Parameter

Rhyming with "Parameter"

Anagrams: Parameter

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams
	Words within the letters "a-a-e-e-m-p-r-r-t"
	-1 letter: tamperer.
	-2 letters: amreeta, pearter, preterm, rampart, taperer, tempera, tramper.
	-3 letters: aerate, ampere, errata, metepa, perter, prater, prearm, ramate, reamer, reaper, remate, repeat, retape, reteam, retear, tamper, tearer, temper, termer, terrae.
	-4 letters: ameer, apart, apter, areae, arete, armer, armet, eater, etape, mater, merer, meter, metre, parae, parer, pater, peart, perea, peter, praam, prate, ramee, ramet, raper, rater, rearm, reata, remap, remet, retem, tamer, taper, tarre, terra, tramp.
	-5 letters: aper, area, atap, atma, maar, mare, mart, mate, meat, meet, mere, meta, mete, para, pare, parr, part, pate, pear, peat, peer, perm, pert, pram, prat, pree, ramp, rape, rapt, rare, rate, ream, reap, rear, rete, tame, tamp, tapa, tape, tare, tarp, team, tear, teem, temp, tepa, term, tram, trap, tree.
	Words containing the letters "a-a-e-e-m-p-r-r-t"
	+1 letter: parameters.
	+2 letters: parametrize.
	+3 letters: parameterize, parametrized, parametrizes.
	+4 letters: parameterized, parameterizes.
	+5 letters: aromatherapies, epigrammatizer, metallographer, multiparameter, parameterizing, prearrangement, premanufacture.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro.

Domain	Title
Books	Experiments: Planning, Analysis, and Parameter Design Optimization (reference) Identification and System Parameter Estimation 1988 (reference) Parameter Estimation and Hypothesis Testing in Linear Models (reference) Robust Control: The Parameter Space Approach (Communications and Control Engineering) (reference) Sedimentary Modeling: Computer Simulation and Methods for Improved Parameter Definition/Bulletin 233 (reference) (more book examples)

Periodicals	Tylers Quarterly Soft Contact Lens Parameter Guide (reference) (more periodical examples)

Music	The Flow of Sound Without Parameter (reference) (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Subject	Topic	Quote
Health		The practice parameter was published in Neurology in 2000, and in Pediatrics in 2001. Other medical and professional journals are expected to publish the parameter in the future. (references)
		Subsequently, many medical academies, professional organizations, and parent and advocacy groups in autism, led by the American Academy of Neurology and the Child Neurology Society, met to build on the Panel's base, developing a practice parameter and providing clinical guidance for screening and diagnosing autism. (references)
Economic History	Norway	Norwegian monetary policy is aimed at maintaining a stable exchange rate for the krone against European currencies, of which the "euro" is a key operating parameter. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Parts of Speech	Percent	Usage per 100 Million Words	Rank in English
Noun (singular)	100%	592	10,744

Expressions using "parameter": constrained parameter ♦ constrained system parameter stream ♦ coriolis parameter ♦ dummy parameter ♦ formal parameter ♦ free variable parameter ♦ incidental parameter ♦ interpreted parameter literal ♦ naming rules parameter ♦ omitted tag minimization parameter ♦ parameter group identifier ♦ parameter negotiation between modems ♦ parameter RAM ♦ proposed parameter ♦ Reynolds parameter. Additional references.
Hypenated Usage
	Ending with "parameter": h-parameter, two-parameter.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Expression	Frequency per Day
parameter	154
degradation microbial parameter	46
parameter unknown value	26
s parameter	23
incorrect parameter	21
solubility parameter	14
parameter small thiele	11
command line parameter	9
fanuc parameter	7
example global parameter	6
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Language	Period	Translations
Greek	700 BCE-300 CE	para-. (various references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Derivations
	Words beginning with "parameter": parameterization, parameterizations, parameterize, parameterized, parameterizes, parameterizing, parameters. (additional references)
	Words ending with "parameter": multiparameter. (additional references)
Misspellings
	"Parameter" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: barameter, Paramat, paramater, Paramatta, paramenter, Parameta, parametre, paramiter, paramitter, parapeted, paremeter, parmameter, Parmentier, parmeter, perameter, perametter, peremeter, Pergamene, periameter, permeter, permster, Porometer. (additional references)
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references).

# of Phoneme Matches	Pronunciation	Word(s) rhyming with "parameter" (pronounced pera"muter)
5	-a" m u t er	diameter.
4	-m u t er	accelerometer, altimeter, anemometer, barometer, densitometer, estimator, fluorometer, goniometer, hydrometer, hygrometer, interferometer, kilometer, magnetometer, micrometer, odometer, perimeter, photometer, polarimeter, spectrometer, speedometer, tensiometer, thermometer.
3	-u t er	Amphitheater, arbiter, auditor, capacitor, catheter, comparator, competitor, conservator, conspirator, contributor, creditor, depositor, distributor, editor, elater, executor, exhibitor, inheritor, inhibitor, inquisitor, interlocutor, interpreter, janitor, marketer, monitor, orator, orbiter, picketer, predator, progenitor, proprietor, quieter, rioter, Sen, senator, sequitur, solicitor, telemarketer, Theater, theatre, trumpeter, visitor.
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Parameter

Definitions: Parameter

Parameter

Noun

Specialty Definitions: Parameter

Specialty Definition: Parameter

Mathematical analysis

Parameter (computer science)

Synonym: Parameter

Crosswords: Parameter

Commercial Usage: Parameter

Books

Periodicals

Music

Non-Fiction Usage: Parameter

Usage Frequency: Parameter

Expressions: Parameter

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Parameter

parameter

degradation microbial parameter

parameter unknown value

s parameter

incorrect parameter

solubility parameter

parameter small thiele

command line parameter

fanuc parameter

example global parameter

Modern Translations: Parameter

Albanian

Arabic

Bulgarian

Chinese

Czech

Danish

Dutch

Esperanto

Farsi

Finnish

French

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hungarian

Italian

Japanese Kanji

Japanese Katakana

Korean

Pig Latin

Portuguese

Romanian

Russian

Serbo-Croatian

Spanish

Swedish

Turkish

Ukranian

Vietnamese

Ancestral Language Translations: Parameter

Derivations & Misspellings: Parameter

Derivations

Misspellings

Rhyming with "Parameter"

Anagrams: Parameter

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Alternative Orthography: Parameter

50 61 72 61 6D 65 74 65 72

.--. .- .-. .- -- . - . .-.

01010000 01100001 01110010 01100001 01101101 01100101 01110100 01100101 01110010

&#80 &#97 &#114 &#97 &#109 &#101 &#116 &#101 &#114

0050 0061 0072 0061 006D 0065 0074 0065 0072

506784677971867184

INDEX