| characteristic [´kar·ik·tǝ`ris·tik] ELECTRONICS A graph showing how the voltage or current between two terminals of an electronic device varies with the voltage or current between two other terminals. MATHEMATICS 1. That part of the logarithm of a number which is the integral (the whole number) to the left of the decimal point in the logarithm. 2. For a family of surfaces that depend continuously on a parameter, the limiting curve of intersection of two members of the family as the two values of the parameter determining them approach a common value. |