What does pigeonhole principle mean?

Definitions for pigeonhole principle
pi·geon·hole prin·ci·ple

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word pigeonhole principle.

Wiktionary

  1. pigeonhole principlenoun

    A theorem which states that there does not exist an injective function on finite sets whose codomain is smaller than its domain.

Wikidata

  1. Pigeonhole principle

    In mathematics, the pigeonhole principle states that if n items are put into m pigeonholes with n > m, then at least one pigeonhole must contain more than one item. This theorem is exemplified in real-life by truisms like "there must be at least two left gloves or two right gloves in a group of three gloves". It is an example of a counting argument, and despite seeming intuitive it can be used to demonstrate possibly unexpected results; for example, that two people in London have the same number of hairs on their heads. The first formalization of the idea is believed to have been made by Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet in 1834 under the name Schubfachprinzip. For this reason it is also commonly called Dirichlet's box principle, Dirichlet's drawer principle or simply "Dirichlet principle" — a name that could also refer to the minimum principle for harmonic functions. The original "drawer" name is still in use in French, Polish, Italian, German, and Chinese. Though the most straightforward application is to finite sets, it is also used with infinite sets that cannot be put into one-to-one correspondence. To do so requires the formal statement of the pigeonhole principle, which is "there does not exist an injective function on finite sets whose codomain is smaller than its domain". Advanced mathematical proofs like Siegel's lemma build upon this more general concept.

How to pronounce pigeonhole principle?

How to say pigeonhole principle in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of pigeonhole principle in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of pigeonhole principle in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Translation

Find a translation for the pigeonhole principle definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"pigeonhole principle." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/pigeonhole+principle>.

Discuss these pigeonhole principle definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for pigeonhole principle? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    pigeonhole principle

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Definitions.net

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    a state of irritation or annoyance
    A huff
    B lucubrate
    C abet
    D abrade

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for pigeonhole principle: