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:
“Some of the taverns on this road, which were particularly dirty, were plainly in a transition state from the camp to the house.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“My function in life is not to be a politician in Parliament: it is to get something done.”
—Bernadette Devlin (b. 1947)