partial function

You are here: irt.org | FOLDOC | partial function

A function which is not defined for all arguments of its input type. E.g.

	f(x) = 1/x if x /= 0.

The opposite of a total function. In denotational semantics, a partial function

	f : D -> C

may be represented as a total function

	ft : D' -> lift(C)

where D' is a superset of D and

	ft x = f x	if x in D
	ft x = bottom	otherwise

where lift(C) = C U bottom. Bottom (LaTeX \perp) denotes "undefined".

(1995-02-03)

Nearby terms: Partial Differential Equation LANguage « partial equivalence relation « partial evaluation « partial function » partial key » partially ordered set » partial ordering

FOLDOC, Topics, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, ?, ALL

©2018 Martin Webb