nvalues

Nvalues is a term used in several disciplines to denote numerical values associated with a fixed parameter N. It is not a single, universal concept; rather, it is a generic label for collections, sets, or outputs that depend on a parameter N.

In mathematics and sequence theory, N-values commonly denote either the first N terms of a sequence, the set {a1, a2, ..., aN}, or the values of a function restricted to inputs up to N. The exact interpretation depends on the surrounding notation and the problem context.

In statistics, N is the standard symbol for sample size. N-values may refer to the observed data points in a sample of size N or to the non-missing values retained for analysis. The term is often used informally to describe the portion of data that is considered in a calculation.

In computer science, N-values appear in descriptions of data structures and algorithms with an N-related parameter. An N-values vector is a vector with N components, and an N-ary tree stores values at nodes with up to N children. The concept also appears in array or matrix representations where the dimension is N.

In information theory and data encoding, an so-called N-valued alphabet refers to a set of N distinct symbols. An N-value, in this sense, is any symbol drawn from that alphabet.

Because the term is general, specific definitions are derived from the context in which it is used. See also N, value, sample size, and non-missing values.