We all face this nounalmost every day. And completely in different areas. We are talking about the word "parameter" (or "parameters"). What does it matter? Where did it come from? In which industries is most often used? Let's find the answers to these questions.
The origin of the noun under study
Before you know what the word "parameters" means, you should learn about its etymology.
Like most specific terms, thiswas borrowed from the ancient Greek language. In ancient times, the verb παραμετρέω (“I measure”) was adopted in it. It was from him that the noun "parameter" was formed.
In Russian, Ukrainian and other Slaviclanguages this name could get through the mediation of either German (Parameter) or English (parameter). Less likely, but still possible, it came from the French (paramètre) or Polish (parametr). In any case, this term can be considered international, since in most languages of the world it is written and pronounced almost identically.
The general definition of the word "parameter"
Having dealt with the etymology, it is worth turning to the interpretation of the lexical meaning of the noun in question.
So, what is “parameters” (or “parameter”)?This is the name of the quantity, with the help of which some properties, abilities, state, size or shape of an object, process, system phenomena, etc. are characterized.
It is worth noting that in most cases, the parameters can be measured. The result is a value or a number.
For example, buying a computer is always worthCheck with the seller about its parameters. In this case, we are talking about the volume of the hard disk and its breakdown (it depends on how much data can be stored in the device and how fast it will work), processor power, type of motherboard, version of the operating system installed on the computer ("Windows" , "Linux"), etc. All this is called "computer settings". They also have tablets, laptops, smartphones and other modern "intellectual" technology.
It should be noted that other electrical appliances also have similar characteristics, but they differ depending on the type of device and its purpose.
The term in question is not a volume.
Mathematical parameters
Having learned the answer to the question of what parameters are, it is worthwhile to examine in more detail the meaning of this term in various industries.
Quite actively it is used in the queen of all.sciences - mathematics. In it, the term under study means a quantity, the numerical values of which provide an opportunity to single out a certain element among those similar to it.
For example, in the parabola equation, y = ax² + bx + c, the values encoded in letters a, b, and c are the parameters. Depending on which values correspond to them, the parabolas also differ.
In addition to the above, in mathematics there is another way of interpreting the term being studied. This is the name of the additional variable used for the parametric representation of the function.
Technical parameter
Having dealt with what are options inmathematics, you should pay attention to the meaning of this term in technology. In this area, the so-called characteristic of a specific property of a process or object that can be quantified is so called.
For example, it can be mass, speed, size or power.
Technical parameters by type of relationship to the object or process are divided into: external and internal
Depending on the type of processes or objects intechnology, stand out: mechanical (tension, mass, friction coefficient), thermal (specific heat capacity, density, thermal conductivity) and electrical parameters (inductance, resistance, etc.).
System characteristics (thermodynamics)
In this area, this name is physicalquantities by which the state of the thermodynamic system is described. These include: pressure, volume, temperature, substance concentration and the like.
As in the case of technical, system parameters are also divided into types.
- Intense - are independent of the mass of the entire system. These are pressure, temperature, substance concentration, magnetic induction and others.
- Extensive system parameters are proportional to its mass. These include volume, internal energy, entropy, enthalpy, free energy and Gibbs energy.
Use in other areas
Having learned what parameters are in mathematics, mechanics and thermodynamics, it is worth exploring in which other areas this term is used.
In the field of creating computer programs, the noun under study is a variable, which is assigned the value of a constant, a variable, etc.
- This term is very actively used in sociology. Scientists in this industry use a system of structural parameters that allow them to study the structure and nature of modern society.
To determine the place of a particular person insociety, it is characterized by nominal (gender, race, nationality, language, religion, country and region of residence, etc.) and ranking parameters (origin, education, field of activity, position, amount of money and the like).- This word is widely used in the mining industry. Depending on the method of extraction of minerals, their different characteristics are used.
For example, for blastholes, these areparameters such as diameter, depth or angle of inclination, and for quarries - the final depth, reserves of minerals and the like. With the open field mining system, its unique characteristics are also taken into account (the width of the working site, the rate of deepening of works, and the like).
- Dietology is another area in whichThere are a number of options. So when drawing up the correct diet, the properties of the body of a particular person are taken into account (height, weight, the ratio of fat and muscle, individual metabolism).
By the way, many of these characteristics are also taken into account when drawing up a training schedule for athletes, as well as in the selection of various projectiles.
This list is far from complete, since in almost every industry it is necessary to take parameters into account. Also, this term is used in logic, logistics, medicine, biology, chemistry, etc.
What can you choose to the word "options" synonyms?
Having understood the meaning and scope of the noun under study, it is worth paying attention to whether it is possible to pick up synonyms for it.
There is no 100% analogue for this term, however, depending on the application, it can be replaced by the following words: characteristics, size, measure, size, size, format, norm.
