abschnittsweise

Abschnittsweise is an adverb in German that indicates something is applied or defined in separate segments or sections rather than globally. It derives from Abschnitt (section, segment) and the suffix -sweise meaning "in a ... manner." The term is common in technical language, especially in mathematics, physics, and computer science, and is often used interchangeably with related terms such as stückweise.

In mathematics, Abschnittsweise is used to describe piecewise definitions, where a function or property is defined differently on different intervals of its domain. For example, a function f may be defined abschnittsweise as f(x) = x^2 for x < 0 and f(x) = x + 1 for x ≥ 0. The phrase abschnittsweise defined signals that a single formula does not describe the function over its entire domain. The notion can extend to properties like abschnittsweise glatt (piecewise smooth) or abschnittsweise konstant (constant on each segment).

In computing and data processing, Abschnittsweise describes handling data in chunks or sections, such as processing an array abschnittsweise or processing a data stream in defined segments rather than as a continuous flow.

See also: piecewise function, segmentation, chunking.

Notes: The term shares meaning with stückweise in many contexts; regional variation may occur. Abschnittsweise is a standard term in mathematical and technical German for expressing segmentation by predefined boundaries.