parameter (redirected from Formal parameter)

parameter /pa·ram·e·ter/ (pah-ram´ĕ-ter)

1. a constant that distinguishes specific cases, having a definite fixed value in one case but different values in other cases.

2. in statistics, a value that specifies one of the members of a family of probability distributions, such as the mean or standard deviation.

3. a variable whose measure is indicative of a quantity or function that cannot itself be directly determined precisely.

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pa·ram·e·ter (p-rm-tr)

n.

1. 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.

2. A factor that determines a range of variations; a boundary.

3. A statistical quantity, such as a mean or standard deviation of a total population, that is calculated from data and describes a characteristic of the population as opposed to a sample from the population.

4. A psychoanalytic tactic, other than interpretation, used by the analyst to further the patient's progress.

5. A factor that restricts what is possible or what results. Not in technical use.

6. A distinguishing characteristic or feature. Not in technical use.

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para·metric (pr-mtrk) adj.

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parameter

[pəram′ətər]

Etymology: Gk, para + metron, measure

1 a value or constant used to describe or measure a set of data representing a physiologic function or system, as in the use of acid-base relationships of the blood as parameters for evaluating the function of a patient's respiratory system.

2 a statistical value of a population group.

3 

Usage notes: informal.

limit or boundary.

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parameter (pram´tur),

n the values that refer to a population; characteristics of a population. Because a parameter is a value of a hypothetical, infinite, unknown population, it is always an estimate.

Paramyxoviridae

n one of the major ribonucleic acid virus families, to which the measles, mumps, parainfluenza, and respiratory syncytial viruses belong. Viruses in this family have a single-stranded, nonsegmented, linear molecular structure with helical symmetry.

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parameter

1. in mathematics and statistics, an arbitrary constant, such as a population mean or standard deviation. It wholly or partly determines a probability distribution.

2. a property of a system that can be measured numerically.

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parameter

Cardiac pacing A term quantifying an operational element determining pacemaker behavior–eg, rate, pulse width, A-V interval, refractory period, etc