gradient

gra·di·ent

noun \ˈgrā-dē-ənt\

Definition of GRADIENT

1

a : the rate of regular or graded ascent or descent : inclination

b : a part sloping upward or downward

2

: change in the value of a quantity (as temperature, pressure, or concentration) with change in a given variable and especially per unit distance in a specified direction

3

: the vector sum of the partial derivatives with respect to the three coordinate variables x, y, and z of a scalar quantity whose value varies from point to point

4

: a graded difference in physiological activity along an axis (as of the body or an embryonic field)

5

: change in response with distance from the stimulus

Examples of GRADIENT

1. <the path goes up at a pretty steep gradient before leveling off>

Origin of GRADIENT

Latin gradient-, gradiens, present participle of gradi

First Known Use: 1835

Related to GRADIENT

Synonyms

cant, diagonal, grade, slant, inclination, incline, lean, pitch, rake, slope, tilt, upgrade

Related Words

ascent, bank, climb, rise

Near Antonyms

declension, declination, decline, declivity, descent, dip, downgrade, fall, hang, hanging, receding

Other Physics Terms

amplitude, centrifugal, centripetal, convection, hysteresis, kinetic, lase, quantum

Rhymes with GRADIENT

radiant

gra·di·ent

noun \ˈgrād-ē-ənt\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of GRADIENT

1

: change in the value of a quantity (as temperature, pressure, or concentration) with change in a given variable and especially per unit on a linear scale

2

: a graded difference in physiological activity along an axis (as of the body or an embryonic field)

3

: change in response with distance from the stimulus

gradient

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

In mathematics, a differential operator applied to a three-dimensional vector-valued function to yield a vector whose three components are the partial derivatives of the function with respect to its three variables. The symbol for gradient is . Thus, the gradient of a function f, written grad f, or f, is f = if + jf + kf where f, f, and f are the first partial derivatives of f and the vectors i, j, and k are the unit vectors of the vector space. If in physics, for example, f is a temperature field (giving the temperature at every point in a space), f is the direction of the heat-flow vector in the field.