NIST

proper

(definition)

Definition: (1) A subunit of a unit is not equal to the unit itself. For instance, a proper substring is not the whole string, a proper subset is not the whole set, a proper subgraph is not the whole graph, etc. (2) According to a rule, as in proper coloring.

Author: PEB


Go to the Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures home page.

If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul Black.

Entry modified 17 December 2004.
HTML page formatted Wed Mar 13 12:42:46 2019.

Cite this as:
Paul E. Black, "proper", in Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures [online], Paul E. Black, ed. 17 December 2004. (accessed TODAY) Available from: https://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/proper.html