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Element vs. Factor

Element and Factor Definitions

Element

A fundamental, essential, or irreducible constituent of a composite entity.

Factor

One that actively contributes to an accomplishment, result, or process
"Surprise is the greatest factor in war" (Tom Clancy).

Element

Elements The basic assumptions or principles of a subject.

Factor

One who acts for someone else; an agent.

Element

A member of a set.

Factor

One who purchases accounts receivable at a discount.
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Element

A point, line, or plane.

Factor

(Mathematics) One of two or more quantities that divides a given quantity without a remainder. For example, 2 and 3 are factors of 6; a and b are factors of ab.

Element

A part of a geometric configuration, such as an angle in a triangle.

Factor

A quantity by which a stated quantity is multiplied or divided, so as to indicate an increase or decrease in a measurement
The rate increased by a factor of ten.

Element

The generatrix of a geometric figure.

Factor

A gene. No longer in technical usage.
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Element

Any of the terms in the rectangular array of terms that constitute a matrix or determinant.

Factor

(Physiology) A substance that functions in a specific biochemical reaction or bodily process, such as blood coagulation.

Element

Chemistry & Physics A substance composed of atoms having an identical number of protons in each nucleus. Elements cannot be reduced to simpler substances by normal chemical means. See Periodic Table.

Factor

To determine or indicate explicitly the factors of
If you factor 70, you get 2, 5, and 7.

Element

One of four substances, earth, air, fire, or water, formerly regarded as a fundamental constituent of the universe.

Factor

To engage in purchasing accounts receivable at a discount.
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Element

(Electricity)The resistance wire in an electrical appliance such as a heater or an oven.

Factor

(obsolete) A doer, maker; a person who does things for another person or organization.
The factor of the trading post bought the furs.

Element

Elements The forces that constitute the weather, especially severe or inclement weather:outside paint that had been damaged by the elements.

Factor

An agent or representative.

Element

An environment naturally suited to or associated with an individual:He is in his element when traveling. The business world is her element.

Factor

(legal)

Element

A distinct group within a larger community:the dissident element on campus.

Factor

A commission agent.

Element

A ground unit in an air force comparable to a platoon.

Factor

A person or business organization that provides money for another's new business venture; one who finances another's business.

Element

A unit of an air force equal to two or three aircraft.

Factor

A business organization that lends money on accounts receivable or buys and collects accounts receivable.

Element

Elements The bread and wine of the Eucharist.

Factor

One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result.
The greatest factor in the decision was the need for public transportation.
The economy was a factor in this year's budget figures.

Element

One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
Letters are the elements of written language.

Factor

(mathematics) Any of various objects multiplied together to form some whole.
3 is a factor of 12, as are 2, 4 and 6.
The factors of the Klein four-group are both cyclic of order 2.

Element

(chemistry) Any one of the simplest chemical substances that cannot be decomposed in a chemical reaction or by any chemical means and made up of atoms all having the same number of protons.

Factor

(causal analysis) Influence; a phenomenon that affects the nature, the magnitude, and/or the timing of a consequence.
The launch temperature was a factor of the Challenger disaster.

Element

One of the four basic building blocks of matter in theories of ancient philosophers and alchemists: water, earth, fire, and air.

Factor

(economics) A resource used in the production of goods or services, a factor of production.

Element

A basic, simple substance out of which something is made, raw material.

Factor

(Scotland) A steward or bailiff of an estate.

Element

(legal) A required aspect or component of a cause of action. A deed is regarded as a violation of law only if each element can be proved.

Factor

(transitive) To find all the factors of (a number or other mathematical object) (the objects that divide it evenly).

Element

(set theory) One of the objects in a set.

Factor

To be a product of other objects.

Element

(mathematics) One of the entries of a matrix.

Factor

To sell a debt or debts to an agent (the factor) to collect.

Element

Any of the teeth of a zip fastener.

Factor

One who transacts business for another; an agent; a substitute; especially, a mercantile agent who buys and sells goods and transacts business for others in commission; a commission merchant or consignee. He may be a home factor or a foreign factor. He may buy and sell in his own name, and he is intrusted with the possession and control of the goods; and in these respects he differs from a broker.
My factor sends me word, a merchant's fledThat owes me for a hundred tun of wine.

Element

A small part of the whole.
An element of the picture

Factor

A steward or bailiff of an estate.

Element

A small but present amount of a quality, a hint.
An element of doubt

Factor

One of the elements or quantities which, when multiplied together, form a product.

Element

A factor, one of the conditions contributing to a result.

Factor

One of the elements, circumstances, or influences which contribute to produce a result; a constituent; a contributory cause.
The materal and dynamical factors of nutrition.

Element

(obsolete) The sky.

Factor

To resolve (a quantity) into its factors.

Element

(obsolete) Any one of the heavenly spheres believed to carry the celestial bodies.

Factor

Anything that contributes causally to a result;
A number of factors determined the outcome

Element

Atmospheric forces such as strong winds and rains.
Exposed to the elements

Factor

An abstract part of something;
Jealousy was a component of his character
Two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony
The grammatical elements of a sentence
A key factor in her success
Humor: an effective ingredient of a speech

Element

A place or state of being that an individual or object is best suited to.
To be in one's element

Factor

Any of the numbers (or symbols) that form a product when multiplied together

Element

The bread and wine taken at Holy Communion.

Factor

One of two or more integers that can be exactly divided into another integer;
What are the 4 factors of 6?

Element

A group of people within a larger group having a particular common characteristic.
You sometimes find the hooligan element at football matches.

Factor

A businessman who buys or sells for another in exchange for a commission

Element

(in the plural only) The basic principles of a field of knowledge, basics, fundamentals, rudiments.

Factor

An independent variable in statistics

Element

A component in electrical equipment, often in the form of a coil, having a high resistance, thereby generating heat when a current is passed through it.
The element in this electric kettle can heat the water in under a minute.

Factor

(genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity;
Genes were formerly called factors

Element

(mathematics) An infinitesimal interval of a quantity, a differential.
The element of area in Cartesian coordinates is dx dy.

Factor

Resolve into factors;
A quantum computer can factor the number 15

Element

(astronomy) An orbital element; one of the parameters needed to uniquely specify a particular orbit.

Element

(computing) One of the conceptual objects in a markup language, usually represented in text by tags.

Element

(obsolete) To compound of elements.

Element

(obsolete) To constitute and be the elements of.

Element

One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.

Element

One of the ultimate, undecomposable constituents of any kind of matter. Specifically: (Chem.) A substance which cannot be decomposed into different kinds of matter by any means at present employed; as, the elements of water are oxygen and hydrogen.

Element

One of the ultimate parts which are variously combined in anything; as, letters are the elements of written language; hence, also, a simple portion of that which is complex, as a shaft, lever, wheel, or any simple part in a machine; one of the essential ingredients of any mixture; a constituent part; as, quartz, feldspar, and mica are the elements of granite.
The simplicity which is so large an element in a noble nature was laughed to scorn.

Element

One out of several parts combined in a system of aggregation, when each is of the nature of the whole; as, a single cell is an element of the honeycomb.

Element

One of the simplest essential parts, more commonly called cells, of which animal and vegetable organisms, or their tissues and organs, are composed.

Element

An infinitesimal part of anything of the same nature as the entire magnitude considered; as, in a solid an element may be the infinitesimal portion between any two planes that are separated an indefinitely small distance. In the calculus, element is sometimes used as synonymous with differential.

Element

One of the necessary data or values upon which a system of calculations depends, or general conclusions are based; as, the elements of a planet's orbit.

Element

The simplest or fundamental principles of any system in philosophy, science, or art; rudiments; as, the elements of geometry, or of music.

Element

Any outline or sketch, regarded as containing the fundamental ideas or features of the thing in question; as, the elements of a plan.

Element

One of the simple substances, as supposed by the ancient philosophers; one of the imaginary principles of matter.
Of elementsThe grosser feeds the purer: Earth the Sea;Earth and the Sea feed Air; the Air those FiresEthereal.
Does not our life consist of the four elements?
And the complexion of the element [i. e.,the sky or air]In favor's like the work we have in hand,Most bloody, fiery, and most terrible.
About twelve ounces [of food], with mere element for drink.
They show that they are out of their element.

Element

The conditions and movements of the air.

Element

The whole material composing the world.
The elements shall melt with fervent heat.

Element

The bread and wine used in the eucharist or Lord's supper.

Element

To compound of elements or first principles.

Element

To constitute; to make up with elements.
His very soul was elemented of nothing but sadness.

Element

An abstract part of something;
Jealousy was a component of his character
Two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony
The grammatical elements of a sentence
A key factor in her success
Humor: an effective ingredient of a speech

Element

Any of the more than 100 known substances (of which 92 occur naturally) that cannot be separated into simpler substances and that singly or in combination constitute all matter

Element

An artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system;
Spare components for cars
A component or constituent element of a system

Element

One of four substances thought in ancient and medieval cosmology to constitute the physical universe;
The alchemists believed that there were four elements

Element

The most favorable environment for a plant or animal;
Water is the element of fishes

Element

The situation in which you are happiest and most effective;
In your element

Element

A straight line that generates a cylinder or cone

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