A parameter is a limit. In mathematics a parameter is a constant in an equation, but parameter isn’t just for math anymore: now any system can have parameters that define its operation. You can set parameters for your class debate.
Parameter comes from a combination of the Greek word para-, meaning “beside,” and metron, meaning “measure.” The natural world sets certain parameters, like gravity and time. In court, the law defines the parameters of legal behavior. Parameter and perimeter are similar, but a perimeter is the physical distance around an object, while a parameter can contain or define something either physically or abstractly: before you marry, prepare for the parameters of monogamy.
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a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves
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a quantity (such as the mean or variance) that characterizes a statistical population and that can be estimated by calculations from sample data
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