principal value
Chosen canonical output
In mathematics, a principal value is the standard or canonical value chosen from multiple possible values of a multivalued function.
Square roots, logarithms, and inverse trigonometric functions can yield several answers; the principal value is the conventionally agreed-upon one.
For √4, the principal value is 2 (not −2).
In complex analysis, the principal value of the logarithm restricts the argument to a specific range.
The term also appears in calculus for certain improper integrals that would otherwise be undefined.
- integralAntiderivative or crucial component
- complexHaving many interconnected parts
- branchDivision or woody limb
- cutSeverance or reduction
- logarithmExponent-determining mathematical operation
argument · singularity · contour · residue · analytic · discontinuity · square root · headmaster · school · authority · leader · investment · bond · interest · loan · capital · main · primary
- complex analysiscomplex numbers, modulus, complex plane, analytic, singularity
- inverse functionsarcsin, arccos, arctan, arcsine, arccosine
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