differentiation

American Heritage Dictionary:

dif·fer·en·ti·a·tion

(dĭf'ə-rĕn'shē-ā'shən) pronunciation

1. The act or process of differentiating.
2. The state of becoming differentiated.
Mathematics. The process of computing a derivative.
Biology. The process by which cells or tissues undergo a change toward a more specialized form or function, especially during embryonic development.

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differentiation

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A process that takes place in a molten or partially molten planetary body by which heavier materials sink to the center and lighter ones rise to the surface. In Earth's case, differentiation resulted in an iron-nickel core and a crust and mantle rich in silicate rocks.

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:

differentiation

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Mathematical process of finding the derivative of a function. Defined abstractly as a process involving limits, in practice it may be done using algebraic manipulations that rely on three basic formulas and four rules of operation. The formulas are: (1) the derivative of xⁿ is nx^{n - 1}, (2) the derivative of sin x is cos x, and (3) the derivative of the exponential function e^x is itself. The rules are: (1) (af + bg)¢ = af¢ + bg¢, (2) (fg)¢ = fg¢ + gf¢, (3) (f/g)¢ = (gf¢ - fg¢)/g², and (4) (f(g))¢ = f¢(g)g¢, where a and b are constants, f and g are functions, and a prime (¢) indicates the derivative. The last formula is called the chain rule. The derivation and exploration of these formulas and rules is the subject of differential calculus. See also integration.

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Roget's Thesaurus:

differentiation

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noun

discrimination

distinction

separation

See

same/different/compare

Antonyms by Answers.com:

differentiation

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Definition: distinction
Antonyms: association

Columbia Encyclopedia:

differentiation

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differentiation, in biology, series of changes that occur in cells and tissues during development, resulting in their specialization. This, in turn, permits a greater variety of organisms. In plants, unspecialized cells, composing tissue called meristem, differentiate into vascular tissue (xylem and phloem; see wood), supportive tissue (sclerenchyma), and storage tissue (parenchyma). In animals, the tissues of the gastrula stage of the embryo differentiate into specialized tissues. While it is not fully understood what initiates this processs, it is known that each of the specialized cells in an organism carries a full set of genes, with all of the organism's genetic information, but each specialized cell expresses only part of it. That is, each cell only transcribes that DNA that it needs to do its specific tasks (see nucleic acid).

Cosmic Lexicon:

Differentiation

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Chemical zonation caused by differences in the densities of minerals; heavy materials sink, less dense materials float.

Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry:

differentiation

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the process whereby relatively unspecialized cells, e.g. embryonic or regenerative cells, acquire specialized structural and/or functional features that characterize the cells, tissues, or organs of the mature organism or some other relatively stable phase of the organism's life history.

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Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:

differentiation

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1. the distinguishing of one thing from another.
2. the act or process of acquiring completely individual characteristics, such as occurs in the progressive diversification of cells and tissues in the embryo, e.g. sex differentiation.
3. increase in morphological or chemical heterogeneity.

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'differentiation'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier

For a list of words related to differentiation, see:

Reproduction and Development - differentiation: development of specialized tissue from nonspecialized tissue

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Differentiation

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Look up differentiation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Differentiation may refer to:

Differentiation (mathematics), the process of finding a derivative
Differentiated instruction in education
Cellular differentiation in biology
Planetary differentiation in planetary science
Inductive reasoning aptitude in psychology
Igneous differentiation in geology
Product differentiation in marketing
Differentiation (linguistics)
Differentiation (sociology)
Differentiation (economics), the making a product different from other similar products
Differentiation (ethnography), the invention of ostensible differences between cultures

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Copyrights:

		American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wiley Book of Astronomy. Copyright © 2004 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license. Read more
		Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 1994-2012 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Roget's Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 byHoughton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Antonyms by Answers.com. © 1999-present by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more
		Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more
		Cosmic Lexicon. Copyright 1996 Planetary Science Research Discoveries. Read more
		Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry. Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved. Read more
		Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		Random House Word Menu. © 2010 Write Brothers Inc. Word Menu is a registered trademark of the Estate of Stephen Glazier. Write Brothers Inc. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Differentiation. Read more