In mathematics, a transition function has several different meanings:
- In topology and in particular in the theory of manifolds, a transition function between two charts of an atlas is a map which allows to pass from one chart to the other in the region where they intersect.
- In computing, a transition function is the function that defines the state transitions of a Turing machine, finite-state machine, or cellular automaton.
- In statistics and probability theory, a transition function is a stochastic kernel, the conditional probability distribution function controlling the transitions of a stochastic process.
Famous quotes containing the words transition and/or function:
“Power ceases in the instant of repose; it resides in the moment of transition from a past to a new state, in the shooting of the gulf, in the darting to an aim.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Think of the tools in a tool-box: there is a hammer, pliers, a saw, a screwdriver, a rule, a glue-pot, nails and screws.—The function of words are as diverse as the functions of these objects.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)