distribution | functional distribution | ideal function

The class of all regular sequences of particularly well-behaved functions equivalent to a given regular sequence. A distribution is sometimes also called a "generalized function" or "ideal function." As its name implies, a generalized function is a generalization of the concept of a function. For example, in physics, a baseball being hit by a bat encounters a force from the bat, as a function of time. Since the transfer of momentum from the bat is modeled as taking place at an instant, the force is not actually a function. Instead, it is a multiple of the delta function. The set of distributions contains functions (locally integrable) and Radon measures. Note that the term "distribution" is closely related to statistical distributions.

convolution | delta function | delta sequence | Fourier series | functional | linear functional