permutation
/ˌpɝ.mjʊˈteɪ.ʃ(ə)n/ noun C2- One of the ways something exists, or the ways a set of objects can be ordered. · Which permutation for completing our agenda items makes the most sense?
- A one-to-one mapping from a finite set to itself. · This permutation takes each element to the one following it, with the last mapped back to the first.
- An ordering of a finite set of distinct elements. · There are six permutations of three elements, e.g. {abc, acb, bac, bca, cab, cba}.
- A transformation of a set's prime form, by applying one or more of certain operations, specifically, transposition, inversion, and retrograde.
Plural permutations
From the library
When we are forced to continually evaluate an infinite array of permutations, our finite cognitive resources are rapidly and thoroughly depleted.
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