An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

1) General: Uninterrupted in extent, sequence, or time.
2) Math.: A line or curve that extends without a break. → continuous function.

From L. continuus "uninterrupted," from contin(ere) "to hold together, retain," → continue, + -uus verbal adj. suffix.

Peyvasté "continous," peyvastan "to connect, join," Mid.Pers. paywastan, from *pati-basta-, from suffix pati- (Mid.Pers. pât-,from O.Pers. paity "agaist, back, opposite to, toward, face to face, in front of," Av. paiti, akin to Skt. práti "toward, against, again, back, in return, opposite," Pali pati-, Gk. proti, pros "face to face with, toward, in addition to, near;" PIE *proti) + basta- "tied, shut" (Av./O.Pers. band- "to bind, fetter," banda- "band, tie," Skt. bandh- "to bind, tie, fasten," PIE *bhendh- "to bind," cf. Ger. binden, E. bind), cf. Skt. prati-bandh- "to tie."

Data that can take any value along a continuum (e.g. air temperature between two upper and lower boundaries) as opposed to → discrete data, which can only take integer values.

→ continuous; → data.

The function y = f(x) is called continuous at the point x = x₀ if it is defined in some neighborhood of the point x₀ and if lim Δy = 0 when Δx → 0.

→ continuous; → function.

An electromagnetic spectrum in which emitted or absorbed radiation is present continuously over all wavelengths in a given range.

→ continuous; → spectrum.

Binâb, → spectrum; peyvasté→ continuous.

A variable which has changes continuously, in contrast to → discrete variables.

→ continuous; → variable.

A → quantum walk taking place entirely in the position space. Continuous-time quantum walk was introduced by E. Farhi & S. Gutmann (1998, Phys. Rev. A 58, 915).

→ continuous; → time; → quantum; → walk.

A function f(x) in an interval if :1) the interval can be divided into a finite number of pieces in each of which f(x) is continuous, and 2) the limits of f(x) as x approaches the boundary point of each piece are finite. In other words, a piecewise continuous function is one that is made up of a finite number of continuous pieces.

→ piecewise; → continuous; → function.