APPROXIMATION

(Lat. proximus, nearest, next to.) A drawing near to. In Mathematics, quantities are said to be approximate which are nearly but not absolutely equal. In a general sense, the term approximate may be applied to every result of natural philosophy or experimental science. For example, the magnitude of the earth, the distance of the sun, the ma es of the planets, in fact, all the elements of astronomy, are only known nearly, or by approximation. In the«c cases, however, the want of absolute knowledge arises from the imperfections of our senses, or the errors of our instruments. In the language of Analysis, approximation is used to denote those methods of calculation by which we obtain near values of quantities which cannot be found accurately, either on account of the nature of their composition, or the imperfections of our metliods of calculation. [s. 81]