42,772 articles
Principle of faunal succession
The principle of faunal succession is the geologic principle that fossils appear in a definite, recognizable order, so rock layers can be matched and relatively dated by their fossils.
Principle of least action
The principle of least action is a variational formulation of mechanics in which the realized path makes the action, the time integral of the Lagrangian, stationary, reproducing Newton's equations.
Principle of locality
The principle of locality, also known as the locality principle, states that an event can be influenced only by its immediate surroundings, with no influence propagating faster than light.
Principle of maximum entropy
The principle of maximum entropy, also known as MaxEnt, holds that the least biased probability distribution is the one with the largest entropy that satisfies the known constraints.
Principle of relativity
The principle of relativity states that the laws of physics take the same form in every inertial frame, so no experiment can reveal uniform motion.
Principle of virtual work
The principle of virtual work states that a mechanical system is in equilibrium only when the total work of applied forces vanishes for every virtual displacement.
Principles of Geology
Principles of Geology is a three-volume work by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell, published between 1830 and 1833, arguing that present-day processes shaped Earth's past and heavily influencing Darwin.
Prior probability
A prior probability distribution, or prior, is the probability distribution assigned to a statistical model's parameters before the current data are observed, combined with the likelihood in Bayesian analysis to form the posterior distribution.
Priority method
The priority method is a technique in computability theory for constructing computably enumerable sets by satisfying ranked requirements, invented independently by Friedberg and Muchnik in the 1950s.
Prism (geometry)
In geometry, a prism is a three-dimensional solid with two identical parallel polygonal bases joined by parallelogram faces; its volume is the base area times its height.
Prism (optics)
A prism, in optics, is a transparent material, usually glass, with nonparallel end faces that refract light, often dispersing white light into a spectrum of wavelengths.
PRISMA statement
The PRISMA statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) is a reporting guideline for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, introduced in 2009 and updated in 2021 as PRISMA 2020.
Prismane
Prismane, also called Ladenburg benzene, is a highly strained nonaromatic valence isomer of benzene with six carbons forming a triangular prism, first synthesized by Thomas Katz and Nancy Acton in 1973.
Prisoner's dilemma
The prisoner's dilemma is a two-person game where each player is better off defecting, though both would gain by cooperating; Flood and Dresher devised it at RAND around 1950.
Pristane
Pristane, also known as norphytane, is a naturally occurring acyclic alkane with the formula C19H40, formed from chlorophyll in sediments and used as a geochemical biomarker.
Private capacity of a quantum channel
The private capacity of a quantum channel is the maximum rate, in private bits per use, at which it transmits classical information an eavesdropper cannot learn.
Prizes and awards in statistics and probability
Prizes and awards in statistics and probability are honors granted by professional societies such as the ASA, IMS, and RSS, ranging from $2,000 to $1 million.
Probabilistic error cancellation
Probabilistic error cancellation (PEC), introduced by Kristan Temme and colleagues in 2017, is a quantum error mitigation technique that cancels device noise statistically through quasiprobability sampling.
Probabilistic forecasting
Probabilistic forecasting issues a full probability distribution over future quantities or events instead of a single value, so uncertainty can be quantified and used in decisions.
Probabilistic logic
Probabilistic logic is a family of formal frameworks combining logical representation with probability theory, so inference returns the probability of a query instead of a plain true-or-false verdict.
Probabilistic method
The probabilistic method is a nonconstructive technique for proving a mathematical object exists by showing a randomly chosen object has the property with positive probability, founded by Paul Erdős.
Probabilistic model checking
Probabilistic model checking is an automated verification technique that builds a Markov-chain model of a system and computes probabilities or expectations for properties in probabilistic temporal logic.
Probabilistic number theory
Probabilistic number theory is a branch of number theory treating arithmetic objects as random variables, born with the 1940 Erdős–Kac theorem on prime factors of random integers.
Probabilistic programming languages and systems
A probabilistic programming language (PPL) is a language or embedded library where users write probability models as programs and the system performs inference automatically, pioneered by BUGS in 1994.
Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis
Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) is a method that estimates the annual frequency of earthquake ground shaking exceeding specified levels at a site, formalized by C. Allin Cornell in 1968.
Probability
Probability is a numerical measure, between 0 and 1, of how likely an event is, with its mathematical theory tracing to Pascal and Fermat's 1654 correspondence on gambling problems.
Probability amplitude
A probability amplitude, also called a complex probability amplitude, is a complex number whose squared modulus gives a quantum event's probability; the rule is the Born rule, stated by Max Born in 1926.
Probability axioms
The probability axioms, or Kolmogorov axioms, are three rules defining probability, introduced by Andrey Kolmogorov in 1933 and now the standard foundation of probability theory.
Probability current
Probability current, or probability current density, is a vector field in quantum mechanics measuring the local flow of probability, satisfying a continuity equation with the probability density.
Probability density function
A probability density function (PDF) is a function describing the relative likelihood of values of a continuous random variable, where probabilities are areas under the curve.