Characteristic

A characteristic is a distinguishing feature of a person or thing. It may refer to:

Computing

• Characteristic (biased exponent), an ambiguous term formerly used by some authors to specify some type of exponent of a floating point number
• Characteristic (significand), an ambiguous term formerly used by some authors to specify the significand of a floating point number

Science

• I–V or current–voltage characteristic, the current in a circuit as a function of the applied voltage
• Receiver operating characteristic

Mathematics

• Characteristic (algebra) of a ring, the smallest common cycle length of the ring's addition operation
• Characteristic (logarithm), integer part of a common logarithm
• Characteristic function, usually the indicator function of a subset, though the term has other meanings in specific domains
• Characteristic polynomial, a polynomial associated with a square matrix in linear algebra
• Characteristic subgroup, a subgroup that is invariant under all automorphisms in group theory
• Characteristic value, another name for the eigenvalue of a matrix
• Characteristic vector (disambiguation), another name for eigenvector of a matrix
• Characteristic word, a subclass of Sturmian word
• Euler characteristic, a topological invariant
• Method of characteristics, a technique for solving partial differential equations

Other uses

• Light characteristic, pattern of a lighted beacon
• Another name for ability score in Dungeons & Dragons

See also

• Characteristicks, a 1711 philosophical treatise by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury
• Property (philosophy)