ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Permutation

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Pronunciation /ˌpɜː.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃən/ · Part of speech noun

Quick meaning: Permutation is a noun meaning One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.

Meaning

One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered.

More Meanings

  1. (mathematics) A one-to-one mapping from a finite set to itself.
  2. (mathematics, combinatorics) An ordering of a finite set of distinct elements.
  3. (music) A transformation of a set's prime form, by applying one or more of certain operations, specifically, transposition, inversion, and retrograde.

Example Sentences

Which permutation for completing our agenda items makes the most sense?
There are six permutations of three elements, e.g. {abc, acb, bac, bca, cab, cba}.
This permutation takes each element to the one following it, with the last mapped back to the first.

Word Forms

Synonyms for permutation

Depending on context, synonyms include switch, substitution, replacement, transposition.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include transposition, switch, substitution, replacement, commutation, swap.

Related Dictionary Tools

Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.