Figuring

Figuring is the process of determining or estimating something by calculation or reasoning. It covers mental calculation, numerical computation, problem solving, and logical deduction. In everyday language, figuring out a problem means arriving at a solution or understanding the underlying issue.

Figuring is used across disciplines and contexts. In mathematics and computing, it involves arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and algorithmic reasoning. In science and engineering, it supports modeling, data interpretation, and estimation. In finance and economics, figures and projections are derived through processes of figuring, budgeting, and forecasting. In daily life, people figure problems such as routes, schedules, or costs. The gerund often appears with the preposition out, as in figuring out the answer, a common expression in informal speech.

Etymology and usage notes: the verb figure comes from Old French figure and Latin figura, with historical senses related to form or shape; its sense of reckoning or calculating developed in English over time. The present participle figuring is most common in informal conversation; in formal writing, terms such as calculation, estimation, or determination are typically preferred. While figuring can describe mathematical or logical work, it also generically refers to the broader act of arriving at a conclusion or estimate through reasoning.

See also: calculation, estimation, problem solving.