Formal 155197 224113220 2008-07-07T11:03:29Z 124.191.99.187 /* Social */ {{wiktionarypar|formal}} The term '''formal''' has a number of uses, including: ==General== *relating to [[formality]] *opposite of '''informal''' ==Social== * [[Formal occasion]] ** [[Formal attire]] worn on such occasions ** [[Formal (university)|Formals]] are particular meals at some British universities ** In Australian or British English, a '''[[School formal|formal]]''' is the equivalent of the American [[prom]] dance. ** In American English, a '''"formal"''' is organized by a college or university organization, typically but not always a [[fraternities and sororities|fraternity or sorority]]. * [[Informal occasion]] (included as [[Informal]] redirect here); see [[Dress code (Western)]] for the distinctions between Formal, Semi-formal, and Informal ** [[Informal attire]] (not to be confused with Casual -- see [[Dress code (Western)]]) ==Philosophical== * relating to [[form]], i.e. appearance rather than essence. **relating to [[Formalism]], i.e. emphasis on form over content or meaning. *[[formal logic#Informal, formal, and symbolic logic|formal logic]] logical argument based only on the form and not on the meaning. *[[Formal cause]], Aristotle's intrinsic, determining cause. ==Mathematics== *[[formal power series]], a generalization of power series without requiring convergence, used in combinatorics; *[[formal calculation]], a calculation which is systematic, but without a rigorous justification; *[[formal set theory]] as opposed to naive set theory; *[[formal derivative]], an operation on elements of a polynomial ring which mimics the form of the derivative from calculus. ===Logic and Language=== *[[formal system]], an abstract means of generating inferences in a formal language; **[[formal language]], comprising the symbolic "words" or "sentences" of a formal system; ***[[formal grammar]], a grammar describing a formal language; **[[formal proof]], a fully rigorous proof as is possible only in a formal system. ==Computer science== *[[formal methods]] in computer science, including: **[[formal specification]] describes what a system should do, not how it should do it **[[formal verification]] proves correctness of a system See also the Language section of Mathematics, above ==Linguistic== *[[Formal equivalence]] word-for-word translation (especially of the Bible) See also the Language section of Mathematics, above ==Chemical== *A [[Concentration#Formal|unit of concentration]] *short or prefix form for [[formalin]] *short or prefix form for [[formaldehyde]] *synonym for [[dimethoxymethane]] ==See also== * [[Informal economy]] {{disambig}} [[de:Formalität]] [[fr:Formel]] [[it:Formalità]] [[nl:Formeel]] [[simple:Formal]]