What is idempotence?
Q: What is idempotence?
A: Idempotence is a property that an operation in mathematics or computer science may have, which means that the operation can be carried out again and again without changing the result.
Q: Who coined the term "idempotence"?
A: The term "idempotence" was made by Benjamin Pierce.
Q: How does idempotence differ for different kinds of operations?
A: The meaning of idempotence differs depending on the type of operation being discussed.
Q: What is true for a unary operation to be considered idempotent?
A: For a unary operation (or function) to be considered idempotent, it must be true that f(f(x)) = f(x) for any x in its domain.
Q: What is an example of an element that can take a unary operation and still be considered idempotent?
A: An example of an element that can take a unary operation and still be considered idempotent would be the absolute value; abs(abs(x)) = abs(x).
Q: What must hold true for a binary operation to be considered idempotent? A: For a binary operation to be considered idempotent, it must hold true that x * x = x for any x which the binary operation can take.
Q: Can you give an example of an element which meets this criteria? A: An example of an element which meets this criteria would be the number 1; 1 times 1 is 1.
