boxcar function

noun

Any function whose value is zero except for a finite part of its argument for which it has a constant non-zero value.

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Meanings

nounboxcar function (plural boxcar functions)

plural boxcar functions

  1. calculusAny function whose value is zero except for a finite part of its argument for which it has a constant non-zero value.

Origin

Due to the graph resembling a rectangular boxcar on a railway line.

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Cite this entry
APA

boxcar function. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boxcar%20function

MLA

“boxcar function.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boxcar%20function. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “boxcar function,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/boxcar%20function.

Source: boxcar function on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.