Approximations (around four o’clock)
When we speak, we often try not to be too exact or factual because it can sound very direct. As a result, we add expressions to make what we say more approximate or vague. …

approximation | Business English

approximation
noun[ C,usually singular ]
uk /əˌprɒksɪˈmeɪʃən/us
a figure that is close to a particular number or time but not exactly that number or time:
Sales-tax receipts provide an approximation of retail sales.
something that is similar to another thing but not exactly the same:
approximation to sthA closer approximation to the truth is that he started out as a genuine entrepreneur.

Examples of approximation

approximation
The initial transcripts included phonetic approximations of every utterance.
The problem can be further generalized by replacing the indicator function by a smooth approximation.
More important than the first-order approximation are the random fluctuations around the deterministic trajectory of the delay equation.
For our present purpose it is enough to ask what quantity the numerical solution is supposed to approximate, at least to a first-order approximation.
The approximation is conservative in the sense that if a variable is needed then it will be an element of the set.
Computations based on such an approximation prove straightforward but lengthy.
Function approximations have long been used in optimal structural design for dealing with computationally expensive problems.
To the student's best approximation, what are the major issues covered?
The gradient-transfer approximation is based on the hypothesis of a turbulent flux proportional to the gradient of the concentration.
This approximation is unlikely to impact on the conclusions of the study.
They also conclude (p. 677) 'that the linear inter-component energy transfer hypothesis is unlikely to be even a fair approximation'.
Section 3.1 presents approximation results when the particles are uniformly distributed.
It is expected that the first model is at best a global approximation, while the subsequent ones will be more precise in some limited regions.
Additionally, there is usually no estimate of the precision of these approximations.
Finally, and just as before, the size of the ideal risk (7.3) quantifies the precision of nonlinear approximation.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations withapproximation

approximation

These are words often used in combination with approximation.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

close approximation
In this context it should be understood that the model cannot identically copy the referent completely-it can only be a closeapproximation.
closest approximation
The closestapproximation of this circumstance in monolingual language production is the existence of synonym pairs such as sofa and couch.
crude approximation
As a crude approximation though, one may simply observe the differences in potential energies at various points along the central pore axis.
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with approximation