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linear function
noun
1
: a mathematical function in which the variables appear only in the first degree, are multiplied by constants, and are combined only by addition and subtraction
Examples of linear function in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That’s a tour of the sheaf of straight lines, or linear functions, over the real line.
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Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 19 July 2024
Recursively modeling the fundamental characteristic of linear functions — the constant rate of change — gives us another way to think about this relationship.
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Patrick Honner, Quanta Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
There are six algebra modules, for example, including ones about linear functions, quadratics, and exponentials.
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IEEE Spectrum, 22 July 2023
Now, there is no linear function that passes through these three points.
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Patrick Honner, Quanta Magazine, 23 Jan. 2023
This weighted sum is then fed into a non-linear function called an activation function—a step that enables neural networks to model complex non-linear phenomena.
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Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 2 Dec. 2019
And a linear function can't model complex real-world phenomena.
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Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, 18 Dec. 2018
One of our favorite refrains: tennis careers are not linear functions.
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Jon Wertheim, SI.com, 18 Mar. 2018
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Word History
First Known Use
1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near linear function
Cite this Entry
“Linear function.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/linear%20function. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
linear function
noun
: a function whose graph is a straight line and which is represented by an equation of the form y = ax + b where a and b are constants, a does not equal zero, and x is any real number
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