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variation

 
   
1
(Math.) A way of describing certain relationships between two variables. To say that y is directly proportional to x means that y = kx for some constant k. To say that γ is inversely proportional to x means that y = k/x (or xy = k) for some constant k. Hooke\'s law, the ideal gas equation and Newton\'s law of gravitation are often cast in these forms.



2
(Biol.) The range of differences between individuals in a population. Variation may be determined by genetic factors, as for coat colour in dogs, or by environmental factors — the yield of a genetically identical crop may depend on the nutrients available locally in the soil. Variation is commonly further classified according to whether it is continuous between two extremes in a population (as for height in humans) or discontinuous in which the population can be divided into two or more distinct ‘morphs’ or forms (as for blood groups in humans). Genetically determined variation is fundamental to the process of evolution.
 

 

 

 
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Other Terms : metal | International Atomic Time (TAI) | triphenylmethyl radical

 

 

 
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