How do you call the largest unsigned item in a list?

Question

What is the clearest way to refer to -10 in the example vector v; v = (1, ⅔, -10)? I initially was going to refer to it as the largest entry of v but don't want to run the risk of having the reader infer that I'm implying 1 (obviously, in this paragraph I'm talking about the 'largest' of a non-specific vector, so I can't refer to it as the third entry).

Here is the context:

[…] we use the convention of flipping the sign of P_q so that it's largest unsigned entry is always positive.

P_q is a matrix with many entries (some positive, some negative). It turns out that the only the magnitude of these entries matter in this application. Still, to compare two such matrices (say P_q and P_qʹ), we need to impose a sign convention.

The entry of v with the smallest value, perhaps? Can you give us some context, such as the intended audience? — Roddy of the Frozen Peas, Jan 04 '14 at 14:37
I'm not a math guy, but do you mean "largest in absolute value (in modulus)"? Please give a context on what is considered to be a "largest entry" in a vector. — Vilmar, Jan 04 '14 at 14:37
This question appears to be off-topic because it is about technical mathematical language, not English usage. — Colin Fine, Jan 04 '14 at 14:44
Well, if only magnitude matters, then you can stick with "largest entry in absolute value (in modulus\in magnitude), I don't think you can make it more compact, though I might be mistaken. — Vilmar, Jan 04 '14 at 14:51
You should ask technical experts (in English) about this, most likely over in mathematics.SE — Mitch, Jan 04 '14 at 15:09
Hi, I'm just going through posts which have "How do you call....?" titles. Would you mind editing it to "What do you call the ....?" See: “How do we call (something) in English?” Thank you! — Mari-Lou A, Mar 07 '16 at 07:55

score 3 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

3

It seems that only absolute value matters when determining the largest entry in a vector, so to make it clear for the audience what a "largest" entry is, you can elaborate:

Largest entry in absolute value

Largest entry in modulus

Largest entry in magnitude

edited Jun 15 '20 at 07:40

Community

1

answered Jan 04 '14 at 14:59

Vilmar

3,643

3

I'd use '... entry with the largest absolute value'. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 04 '14 at 15:54
"Absolute value " is my answer too. – moonstar Jan 04 '14 at 16:47
I'm a mathematician and I'd just write: largest (absolute) value because anyone reading the paper would understand. – Jan 05 '14 at 05:44

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Jan 04 '14 at 19:03

One could refer to the extreme value or an extreme value. For example, “We use the convention of flipping the sign of P_q so that its extreme entry is positive.”

Using largest-magnitude as an adjective is also a possibility: “We adjust the sign of P_q such that its largest-magnitude entry is positive.”

Similarly, entry of largest magnitude is a possibility: “We adjust the sign of P_q such that its entry of largest magnitude is positive.”

I regard “largest entry in magnitude” as a wrong or unnatural phrase.

score -1 · Answer 3 · edited Jan 04 '14 at 18:11

-1

Perhaps maximum of min and max Or maximum absolute value. Depends on the intended audiences.

edited Jan 04 '14 at 18:11

tchrist

134,759

answered Jan 04 '14 at 14:42

Ravindra

7

Your first sentence sounds like the way Yoda might explain it. – J.R. Jan 04 '14 at 15:06

How do you call the largest unsigned item in a list?

3 Answers3