ternary meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

ternary

adj

UK /ˈtɜː.nə.ɹi/ · US /ˈtɝ.nə.ɹi/

Etymology From Late Latin ternārius (“consisting of three things”), from ternī (“three each”).

Made up of three things.

Arranged in groups of three.

Arithmetic To the base three.

Perhaps the prettiest number system of all is the balanced ternary notation1999, Donald Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming, 3rd edition, volume 2, →ISBN, page 207:

Arithmetic Having three variables.

Chemistry, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Containing, or consisting of, three different parts, as elements, atoms, groups, or radicals, which are regarded as having different functions or relations in the molecule.

Sodic hydroxide, NaOH, is a ternary compound.

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences Of an operator taking three operands.

An "if…then…else" construction is called a ternary operator when it is combined in one line of a program.

Derived terms: 32 terms
biternary, heteroternary, negaternary, nonternary, pseudoternary, ternarily, ternary alloy, ternary code, ternary complex, ternary compound, ternary computer, ternary diagram, ternary expansion, ternary form, ternary Golay code, ternary Golay conjecture, ternary incremental representation, ternary logarithm, ternary logic, ternary name, ternary notation, ternary numeral system, ternary operation, ternary operator, ternary plot, ternary pulse code modulation, ternary quantic, ternary search, ternary search tree, ternary signal, ternary system, ternary tree
Related terms: singular, unary, primary (1st), binary, secondary (2nd), trinary, tertiary (3rd), quaternary, quartary (4th), tetranary, quinary, quintary, senary, septenary, octonary, novenary, nonary (9th), denary, duodenary, vigenary, centenary (100)

ternary

noun

Etymology From Late Latin ternārius (“consisting of three things”), from ternī (“three each”).

A group of three things; a trio, threesome or tierce.

Obsolete The Holy Trinity.

And albeit these thynges be waighty and truthes of great importance, yet (by the infinite goodnes of the Almighty Ternarie,) Artificiall Methods and easy wayes are made, by which the zelous Philosopher, may wyn nere this Riuerish Ida, this Mountayne of Contemplation […] .1570, John Dee, in H. Billingsley (trans.) Euclid, Elements of Geometry, Preface

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Programming, Sciences The ternary operator.

Although this code is technically correct, you should be cautious when using ternaries. Many developers actually don't like using ternaries because it's easy to miss small details or create quirky behaviors.Richie Miller, Computer Programming Bible: 12 In 1