different between quadfurcation vs bifurcation

English

Etymology

quad- +? furcation

Noun

quadfurcation (usually uncountable, plural quadfurcations)

1. A forking or division into four branches.

Quotations

• 1988, Raymond J. Lasek and Mark M. Black (editors), Intrinsic Determinants of Neuronal Form and Function, Liss, ?ISBN, illustrated, page 86:

  The path length in comparison to the vector length defines a length-tortuosity parameter. Trifurcations and quadfurcations can be expressed as segments without length.

• 1999, Neil M. Denari, Gyroscopic Horizons, Princeton Architectural Press, ?ISBN, illustrated, page 12:

  Is it possible that architecture can mutate into equal parts GPS, abstract machine, event horizon, and vague placeform, a kind of quadfurcation of the purpose of building?

• 2008, Jos van der Sloten et al. (editors), 4th European Conference of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering, Springer, ?ISBN, volume 2, page 769:

  As a consequence, points are classified as loose, end- or midpoints, or as bi-, tri- or quadfurcations, depending on the number of direct neighbor points.

Related terms

• bifurcation
• trifurcation
• quadfurcated

English

Etymology

From bifurcate +? -ion.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?ba?f??ke???n/
• (US) enPR: b?'f?r-k??sh?n, IPA^(key): /?ba?f??ke???n/
• Rhymes: -e???n

Noun

bifurcation (countable and uncountable, plural bifurcations)

1. (biology) A division into two branches.
2. (by extension) Any place where one thing divides into two.
3. The act of bifurcating; branching or dividing in two.
4. Either of the forks or other branches resultant from such a division.
5. (geography) A place where two roads, tributaries etc. part or meet.
6. (nautical) The point where a channel divides when proceeding from seaward.
7. (mathematics) The change in the qualitative or topological structure of a given family as described by bifurcation theory.
8. (computer science) A command that executes one block or other of commands depending on the result of a condition.

Synonyms

• (division into two branches): branched, branching, forked, forking

Derived terms

• bifurcation theory
• postbifurcation
• prebifurcation

Related terms

• bifurcate
• trifurcation
• quadfurcation

Translations

French

Etymology

bifurquer +? -tion, Medieval Latin bifurcus (“two-spronged”).

Pronunciation

Noun

bifurcation f (plural bifurcations)

1. A bifurcation, where two roads etc. part or meet

Related terms

• bifurquer (verb)

Further reading

• “bifurcation” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).