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Definition 2024


plus-minus_sign

plus-minus sign

English

Noun

plus-minus sign (plural plus-minus signs)

  1. (mathematics) the symbol ±, meaning "plus or minus", used to indicate the precision of an approximation (as in "The result is 10 ± 0.3", meaning the result is anywhere in the inclusive range from 10 - 0.3, that is, 9.7, to 10 + 0.3, that is, 10.3), or as a convenient shorthand for a quantity with two possible values of opposing sign and identical magnitude (as in "The roots of the equation x2 - 4 = 0 are ±2").

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