recurrence relation
Mathematics
noun
An expression which defines the general member of a series in terms of or as a function of preceding members.
- An example of a series defined by a recurrence relation is the Fibonacci series, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8,., where each number after the first is the sum of the two preceding numbers..
Origin
Early 20th century; earliest use found in Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.