superposition
It's also a big chunk of what makes linear systems so nice to work with.
No, this is additivity:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_function
distributive property
i was gonna say distributive, too.
Looks like "additive function" is the base mathematical concept behind the general principle of superposition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superposition_principle
Any definition I can find, including the linked wiki page, invariably ties the term to linear systems.Looks like "additive function" is the base mathematical concept behind the general principle of superposition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superposition_principle
2) follows from 1) for real numbers, but in general it doesn't have to. See e.g. antilinear map that's quite common in physics.Linearity is really the most general property. Superposition (from physics) and the distributive property (from... elementary school? lol) are consequences of linearity. Linearity is usually given as something like
1) f(x+y) = f(x)+f(y) (also called additivity or superposition as mentioned in this thread)
2) f(a*x) = a*f(x) (also called homogenity)
Although 2) is really an obvious consequence of 1).
2) follows from 1) for real numbers, but in general it doesn't have to. See e.g. antilinear map that's quite common in physics.
"Distributive property" - have you people made it even to an Algebra 2 class in high school yet?! Wow. No, it's not distributive property.