Determinant
Determinant , adjective
[Latin determinans, present participle of determinare: compare French déterminant.]
Serving to determine or limit; determinative.
Determinant , noun
1.
That which serves to determine; that which causes determination.
thus, the determinant of the nine numbers
a, b, c,a′, b′, c′,a′′, b′′, c′′,
is a b′ c′′ - a b′′ c′ + a′ b′′ c] - a′ b c′′ + a′′ b′ c. The determinant is written by placing the numbers from which it is formed in a square between two vertical lines. The theory of determinants forms a very important branch of modern mathematics.
2.
(Mathematics) The sum of a series of products of several numbers, these products being formed according to certain specified laws
3.
(Logic) A mark or attribute, attached to the subject or predicate, narrowing the extent of both, but rendering them more definite and precise. — Abp. Thomson