ScienceAugust 23, 2026

discretizing

di-SKREE-tahy-zing

Definition

The mathematical process of converting continuous equations or data into a finite, step-by-step representation suitable for computer calculation.

Etymology

Derived from the word 'discrete,' meaning separate or distinct, which itself comes from the Latin 'discretus,' meaning separated or set apart.

In the news

The article explains that the new method derives equations from a discrete Lagrangian instead of directly discretizing continuous motion equations, which helps maintain higher accuracy in asteroid simulations.

Astronomers develop a faster way to simulate the complicated motion of binary asteroids

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