2014-04-26 10:52:28 -04:00
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delta
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2014-04-26 11:54:15 -04:00
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n. 1. [techspeak] A quantitative change, especially a small or incremental
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one (this use is general in physics and engineering). I just doubled the
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speed of my program! What was the delta on program size? About 30 percent.
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(He doubled the speed of his program, but increased its size by only 30
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percent.) 2. [Unix] A diff , especially a diff stored under the set of
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version-control tools called SCCS (Source Code Control System) or RCS
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(Revision Control System). 3. n. A small quantity, but not as small as
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epsilon. The jargon usage of delta and epsilon stems from the traditional
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use of these letters in mathematics for very small numerical quantities,
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particularly in epsilon-delta proofs in limit theory (as in the differential
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calculus). The term delta is often used, once epsilon has been mentioned, to
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mean a quantity that is slightly bigger than epsilon but still very small.
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The cost isn't epsilon, but it's delta means that the cost isn't totally
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negligible, but it is nevertheless very small.
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