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degree of freedom
(redirected from degrees of freedom)

    Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.78 sec.
degree of freedom
n. pl. degrees of freedom
1. Statistics Any of the unrestricted, independent random variables that constitute a statistic.
2. Physics
a. Any of the minimum number of coordinates required to specify completely the motion of a mechanical system.
b. Any of the independent thermodynamic variables, such as pressure, temperature, or composition, required to specify a system with a given number of phases and components.
degree of freedom
1. Any of the independent thermodynamic variables, such as pressure, temperature, or composition, required to specify a system with a given number of phases and components.
2. Any of the independent terms used to characterize the way a physical system can store energy. For example, a molecule consisting of two atoms can be thought of as having three degrees of freedom: one for its linear motion (as the whole molecule moves through space), one for its angular motion (as it rotates around its center of gravity) and one for its internal vibrational energy (as the atoms pull and push against each other within their chemical bond).
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.degree of freedom - (statistics) an unrestricted variable in a frequency distribution
variable quantity, variable - a quantity that can assume any of a set of values
statistics - a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters
2.degree of freedom - one of the minimum number of parameters needed to describe the state of a physical system
parameter, parametric quantity - a constant in the equation of a curve that can be varied to yield a family of similar curves


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To test whether the polynomial form is superior to the original form of the variable, a chi-squared test is constructed by using the difference in two models' chi-squared value (or the difference in two times the log likelihood of the two models), with the number of degrees of freedom determined by the number of additional variables added to the polynmnial model.
Testing the dose-response specification in epidemiology: public ... by Rothenberg, Jesse C. / Environmental Health Perspectives
The degrees of freedom with which the arms of the EndoWrist instruments operate include pitch, yaw, and roll plus two additional degrees of freedom in the wrist and two others for tool actuation--a total of seven degrees of freedom in all.
Potential applications of the da Vinci minimally invasive surgical ... by Melder, Patrick C. / Ear, Nose and Throat Journal
16) Recent studies, (17,18) however, have challenged Bernstein's original hypotheses, suggesting that it is the task that dictates whether the degrees of freedom increase or decrease in the initial stage of skill acquisition.
Invited commentary by Houck, Jeff / Physical Therapy
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