distance function
A "distance function" is a mathematical concept used to quantify the separation between elements in a set, crucial in fields like geometry, data analysis, and machine learning.
Definition
C1Mathematics
(technical, academic)A function that calculates the separation between two points in a set, adhering to properties like non-negativity, identity of indiscernibles, and symmetry.
Example
- The Euclidean distance function is commonly used to determine the straight-line distance between two points in a plane.
C2Metric Space Theory
(technical, academic)A function assigning a non-negative real number to a pair of points, representing their separation while satisfying specific axioms.
Example
- In metric space theory, the distance function must satisfy the triangle inequality.
C1Data Analysis
(technical, academic)A measure used to quantify how different two data points are, often used in clustering and classification.
Example
- In machine learning, the distance function helps determine which data points are most similar.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "distance function":
security distanceat a distancesocial distancehow farlunar distance