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Indeterminate


The term "indeterminate" is sometimes used as a synonym for unknown or variable (Becker and Weispfenning 1993, p. 188).

A mathematical expression can also be said to be indeterminate if it is not definitively or precisely determined. A standard calculus use of the term occurs in an indeterminate form of a limit.

The Wolfram Language returns the symbol Indeterminate upon encountering an indeterminate expression in the course of an evaluation. For example, the expression infty-infty is indeterminate because the two infinite quantities can approach infinity at rates whose difference has different limiting behavior. This differs from an undefined expression, for which no value is assigned in the relevant context.

The Wolfram Functions Site uses the notation > to represent an indeterminate quantity.


See also

Ambiguous, Directed Infinity, Indeterminate Form, Trivial, Undefined, Unknown, Variable, Well-Defined

Related Wolfram sites

https://functions.wolfram.com/Constants/Indeterminate/

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References

Becker, T. and Weispfenning, V. Gröbner Bases: A Computational Approach to Commutative Algebra. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1993.

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Indeterminate." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Indeterminate.html

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