Discrete
Discrete
A class is said to have discrete order (e.g. the whole numbers), if (1) it satisfies Dedekind’s postulate (q.v.) and (2) every element (except the first if any) has a next predecessor and also (except the last if any) a next successor. Contrasted with “dense” or “compact” order, such as that of the rational numbers, in which no element is next to any other. — C.J.D.