1 a figure that is close to a particular number or time but not exactly that number or time:
2 something that is similar to another thing but not exactly the same:
approximation to sth A closer approximation to the truth is that he started out as a genuine entrepreneur.
The initial transcripts included phonetic approximations of every utterance.
The problem can be further generalized by replacing the indicator function by a smooth approximation.
More important than the first-order approximation are the random fluctuations around the deterministic trajectory of the delay equation.
For our present purpose it is enough to ask what quantity the numerical solution is supposed to approximate, at least to a first-order approximation.
The approximation is conservative in the sense that if a variable is needed then it will be an element of the set.
Selection and drift in subdivided populations : a straightforward method for deriving diffusion approximations and applications involving dominance, selfing and local extinctions.
Computations based on such an approximation prove straightforward but lengthy.
Function approximations have long been used in optimal structural design for dealing with computationally expensive problems.