greensfunction
nounUK /ˈɡriːnz ˈfʌŋkʃən/
US /ˈɡrinz ˈfʌŋkʃən/
A special math helper that shows how a push in one spot affects other spots.
The scientist used a Green's function to find how heat spreads through the metal bar.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. In physics, a tool that describes how a source creates a field at another place.
The Green's function for the electric field gave the voltage at every point.
3. A mathematical function named after George Green that solves certain equations with set conditions.
Students learned to build a Green's function for the wave equation.
4. A way to turn a complicated problem into many simple point-source problems added together.
By summing Green's functions, they modeled the whole vibrating drum.