428: parameter Feb 9, 2016

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'Parameter' until recently was simply a technical term, reserved for math and computer-science. In the mid 20th century, the term expanded into the nontechnical meaning of ‘limit’, albeit often used in formal situations.Some people believe that this adoption is due to influence by ‘perimeter’, which is different. Some people feel as though the non-technical term weakens the use. It is seen by mathematicians and linguists to blur more than elucidate the idea of ‘limit, framework’ in actual math and computer science.

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