mathematical operation - (mathematics) calculation by mathematical methods; "the problems at the end of the chapter demonstrated the mathematical processes involved in the derivation"; "they were learning the basic operations of arithmetic"permutation - the act of changing the arrangement of a given number of elements combination - the act of arranging elements into specified groups without regard to order differentiation - the mathematical process of obtaining the derivative of a function maximization - the mathematical process of finding the maximum value of a function integration - an operation used in the calculus whereby the integral of a function is determined construction - drawing a figure satisfying certain conditions as part of solving a problem or proving a theorem; "the assignment was to make a construction that could be used in proving the Pythagorean theorem" relaxation method, relaxation - a method of solving simultaneous equations by guessing a solution and then reducing the errors that result by successive approximations until all the errors are less than some specified amount math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement |