canonical form

noun

Definition of canonical form

: the simplest form of something specifically : the form of a square matrix that has zero elements everywhere except along the principal diagonal

Examples of canonical form in a Sentence

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Yet mathematicians have discovered that these random processes converge to certain canonical forms. — Quanta Magazine, "Random Surfaces Hide an Intricate Order," 2 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'canonical form.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near canonical form

canonical purgation

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Last Updated

30 Jul 2019

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The first known use of canonical form was in 1851

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