- Mathematics.
- a constant or variable term in a function that determines the specific form of the function but not its general nature, as a in f(x) = ax, where a determines only the slope of the line described by f(x).
- one of the independent variables in a set of parametric equations.
- a variable entering into the mathematical form of any distribution such that the possible values of the variable correspond to different distributions.
- a variable that must be given a specific value during the execution of a program or of a procedure within a program.
- limits or boundaries; guidelines: the basic parameters of our foreign policy.
- characteristic or factor; aspect; element: a useful parameter for judging long-term success.
- one of a number of auxiliary variables in terms of which all the variables in an implicit functional relationship can be explicitly expressed
- a variable whose behaviour is not being considered and which may for present purposes be regarded as a constant, as y in the partial derivative ∂f(x,y)/∂ x
- a characteristic of the distribution of a population, such as its mean, as distinct from that of a sample
- any constant or limiting factor
