discretos

Discretos is the term used in Spanish and Portuguese as the plural form of discreto. In mathematical usage, discreto describes objects, data, or processes that consist of separate, distinct elements rather than a smooth continuum. Discreteness implies that the components can be counted or enumerated, and that gaps may exist between elements. A discrete set is finite or countably infinite, in contrast to continuous sets, which can vary without jumps.

In discrete mathematics, the field focuses on structures such as integers, graphs, finite automata, and finite groups. Core topics include combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, and the theory of formal languages. Problems typically involve counting, existence, optimization, and algorithmic construction, often using inductive proofs, recurrences, and discrete algorithms.

Data and signals may be discrete or continuous. Discrete data assume isolated values, such as counts or categories; discrete random variables take a countable set of values and are described by probability mass functions, whereas continuous variables are described by probability density functions. In computer science and digital engineering, time and signals are frequently modeled discretely, by sampling at regular intervals.

Applications of discreteness span computer science, cryptography, coding theory, scheduling, network analysis, and simulation. The concept also underpins discretization: converting continuous models into discrete approximations for analysis or numerical computation.