power function

noun

1
: a function of a parameter under statistical test whose value for a particular value of the parameter is the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis if that value of the parameter happens to be true
2
: a function (such as f(x) = axk) that equals the product of a constant and a power of the independent variable

Examples of power function in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This reality may stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of how transformative power functions. Essence, 10 Jan. 2024 Psychologists Henry Roediger of Washington University in St. Louis and Andrew DeSoto of the Association for Psychological Science in Washington, D.C., report, for example, that successive U.S. generations forget their past presidents in a regular manner that can be described by a power function. Laura Spinney, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2020 Also standard are heated front seats with an eight-way power function and lumbar support for the driver seat, a rear USB port, and auto up-and-down windows for the front doors. Drew Dorian, Car and Driver, 14 Nov. 2022 No tight spaces for car lovers and their passengers, who stay cozy in the memory seats with full power function. Essence, 20 Oct. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of power function was in 1914

Dictionary Entries Near power function

Cite this Entry

“Power function.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20function. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!