variational

1 7.9

About methods that use small changes to find the best answer in math or science

adjective
/ˌvɛəriˈeɪʃənl/

Specialized

: variacional

The physicist used a variational approach to optimize the system's performance based on different parameters.
variational formulation
dual variational
mixed-dual variational

Next time we'll do properties of the spectrum in one dimension and begin something new called the variational problem.

Examples

So solving A variational problem like this means reducing it to a simple differential equation.
Carl Friedrich Gauss later refined that point of view and put it in modern variational form.

Academic text (2006)
So this is sort of a taste of a variational calculation.
In turn, the way this evaluation takes place is determined by the structure of the variational problem at hand.

Academic text (2018)
As such, it obeys the variational principle.

Academic text (1999)
I have a question about the variational auto encoder for the more challenging data set like the Street View house number.
D-Cubed of Cambridge, England, has released an upgrade to 2D DCM, its CAD component that allows 2-D variational solving.

Academic text (2002)
Researchers often utilize variational methods to analyze complex data sets in mathematics and science.
A variational model can be crucial for understanding changes in population dynamics over time.

Surface Forms

variational positive

Morphology

variational = variation (semi-transparent) = vary + ation + al

The word is regularly formed from 'variation' plus the adjective suffix '-al', but its technical use in mathematics makes the meaning slightly specialized.

Etymology

The word variational comes from the Latin word variare, which means 'to change', and it shares the same root as the everyday words vary and various. So, variational means 'relating to change' and is often used in science and math for methods that look at how things change.