Definitions

1. noun

A type of algebraic object, a generalization of the determinant, used in the theory of invariants and symmetric polynomials.

“The mathematician’s work involved the study of pfaffians in algebraic geometry.”

2. adjective

Related to, or characteristic of, the name or work of Julius Ritter von Pfaff, a German mathematician and astronomer.

“The pfaffian coordinates used in the solution were a nod to the mathematician who first proposed them.”