Irreducible polynomialIn mathematics, an irreducible polynomial is, roughly speaking, a polynomial that cannot be factored into the product of two non-constant polynomials. The property of irreducibility depends on the nature of the coefficients that are accepted for the possible factors, that is, the field to which the coefficients of the polynomial and its possible factors are supposed to belong. For example, the polynomial x2 − 2 is a polynomial with integer coefficients, but, as every integer is also a real number, it is also a polynomial with real coefficients.
Boolean data typeIn computer science, the Boolean (sometimes shortened to Bool) is a data type that has one of two possible values (usually denoted true and false) which is intended to represent the two truth values of logic and Boolean algebra. It is named after George Boole, who first defined an algebraic system of logic in the mid 19th century. The Boolean data type is primarily associated with conditional statements, which allow different actions by changing control flow depending on whether a programmer-specified Boolean condition evaluates to true or false.
Delimiter-separated valuesFormats that use delimiter-separated values (also DSV) store two-dimensional arrays of data by separating the values in each row with specific delimiter characters. Most database and spreadsheet programs are able to read or save data in a delimited format. Due to their wide support, DSV files can be used in data exchange among many applications. A delimited text file is a used to store data, in which each line represents a single book, company, or other thing, and each line has fields separated by the delimiter.
Weighted automatonIn theoretical computer science and formal language theory, a weighted automaton or weighted finite-state machine is a generalization of a finite-state machine in which the edges have weights, for example real numbers or integers. Finite-state machines are only capable of answering decision problems; they take as input a string and produce a Boolean output, i.e. either "accept" or "reject". In contrast, weighted automata produce a quantitative output, for example a count of how many answers are possible on a given input string, or a probability of how likely the input string is according to a probability distribution.
Loop invariantIn computer science, a loop invariant is a property of a program loop that is true before (and after) each iteration. It is a logical assertion, sometimes checked with a code assertion. Knowing its invariant(s) is essential in understanding the effect of a loop. In formal program verification, particularly the Floyd-Hoare approach, loop invariants are expressed by formal predicate logic and used to prove properties of loops and by extension algorithms that employ loops (usually correctness properties).
Volatile (computer programming)In computer programming, volatile means that a value is prone to change over time, outside the control of some code. Volatility has implications within function calling conventions, and also impacts how variables are stored, accessed and cached. In the C, C++, C#, and Java programming languages, the volatile keyword indicates that a value may change between different accesses, even if it does not appear to be modified. This keyword prevents an optimizing compiler from optimizing away subsequent reads or writes and thus incorrectly reusing a stale value or omitting writes.
Implicit data structureIn computer science, an implicit data structure or space-efficient data structure is a data structure that stores very little information other than the main or required data: a data structure that requires low overhead. They are called "implicit" because the position of the elements carries meaning and relationship between elements; this is contrasted with the use of pointers to give an explicit relationship between elements. Definitions of "low overhead" vary, but generally means constant overhead; in big O notation, O(1) overhead.
Data structure diagramA data structure diagram (DSD) is the visual representation of a certain kind of data model that contains entities, their relationships, and the constraints that are placed on them. It is an older alternative to the entity–relationship model. The basic graphic notation elements of DSDs are boxes which represent entities. Arrow symbols represent relationships. Data structure diagrams are most useful for documenting complex data entities. A data structure diagram is a diagram type that is used to depict the structure of data elements in the data dictionary.
Public executionA public execution is a form of capital punishment which "members of the general public may voluntarily attend." This definition excludes the presence of only a small number of witnesses called upon to assure executive accountability. The purpose of such displays has historically been to deter individuals from defying laws or authorities. Attendance at such events was historically encouraged and sometimes even mandatory. While today most countries regard public executions with distaste, they have been practiced at some point in history nearly everywhere.
Data domainIn data management and database analysis, a data domain is the collection of values that a data element may contain. The rule for determining the domain boundary may be as simple as a data type with an enumerated list of values. For example, a database table that has information about people, with one record per person, might have a "marital status" column. This column might be declared as a string data type, and allowed to have one of two known code values: "M" for married, "S" for single, and NULL for records where marital status is unknown or not applicable.