Invariant

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Invariant \In*va"ri*ant\, n. (Math.)
     An invariable quantity; specifically, a function of the
     coefficients of one or more forms, which remains unaltered,
     when these undergo suitable linear transformations. --J. J.
     Sylvester.
     [1913 Webster]



From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  invariant
       adj 1: unaffected by a designated operation or transformation
       2: persistent in occurrence and unvarying in nature;
          "maintained a constant temperature"; "a constant beat";
          "principles of unvarying validity"; "a steady breeze"
          [syn: {changeless}, {constant}, {steady}, {unvarying}]

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  invariant
       
           A rule, such as the {ordering} of an ordered
          list or {heap}, that applies throughout the life of a data
          structure or procedure.  Each change to the data structure
          must maintain the correctness of the invariant.
       
          (1996-03-12)