Parameter

English Meaning

A term applied to some characteristic magnitude whose value, invariable as long as one and the same function, curve, surface, etc., is considered, serves to distinguish that function, curve, surface, etc., from others of the same kind or family.

1. Mathematics A constant in an equation that varies in other equations of the same general form, especially such a constant in the equation of a curve or surface that can be varied to represent a family of curves or surfaces.
2. Mathematics One of a set of independent variables that express the coordinates of a point.
3. One of a set of measurable factors, such as temperature and pressure, that define a system and determine its behavior and are varied in an experiment.
4. Usage Problem A factor that restricts what is possible or what results: "all the parameters of shelter—where people will live, what mode of housing they will choose, and how they will pay for it” ( New York).
5. A factor that determines a range of variations; a boundary: an experimental school that keeps expanding the parameters of its curriculum.
6. Statistics A quantity, such as a mean, that is calculated from data and describes a population.
7. Usage Problem A distinguishing characteristic or feature.