extremal

[ ik-stree-muhl ]

adjective

, Mathematics.

1. of or relating to an extremum or the calculation of extrema:

   an extremal problem.

extremal

/ ɪkˈstriːməl /

noun

1. maths logic the clause in a recursive definition that specifies that no items other than those generated by the stated rules fall within the definition, as in 1 is an integer, if n is an integer so is n+1, and nothing else is

Word History and Origins

Origin of extremal¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English. extremum, -al ¹

Example Sentences

Whereas such "extremal" black holes have been hypothesized for decades, until now no one had discovered a realistic process by which such oddities actually could have formed in our universe.

From Science Daily

Scientists estimate that this process started around one second after the Big Bang, which would have given extremal black holes plenty of time to disrupt the equilibrium conditions that would have prevailed when the first nuclei began to form.

From Science Daily

In 2014, Engelhardt and Aron Wall figured out a way to calculate the extremal surface area of a black hole that is subject to the kind of quantum corrections that cause Hawking radiation.

From Scientific American

The Ryu-Takayanagi result showed that the area of the extremal surface of a black hole in the AdS is related to the entanglement entropy of the quantum system in the CFT.

From Scientific American

As a black hole evaporates in AdS, the area of its extremal surface changes.

From Scientific American