factored

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of factor.

   The engineer factored material fatigue into the safety margins.

   Researchers have factored seasonal variation into their forecasts.

   Note

   The verb form behind most of the adjectives here. Rewrite an expression as a product and it is factored; sell a debt to a factor and the debt is factored too. Both transitive uses take the passive naturally (the invoices were factored). The intransitive use, meaning to be a product of other objects, takes have in the perfect but has no passive. The form is regular, with past and participle spelled alike.

2. 2
   adjective

   Written as a product of factors: the separate values that multiply together to give the whole.

   The factored expression revealed two repeating roots.

   Students compared the factored and expanded versions of the same polynomial.

   Note

   Algebra and circuit design share this word, and both pair it with form: a polynomial in factored form, a logic function in factored form. In logic synthesis it is the alternative to sum-of-products form and sits closer to how the circuit is physically built. Its rules there are strict, and complements may appear only on single literals. In the classroom its counterpart is expanded, which is the same expression multiplied out.

3. 3
   adjective

   Adjusted (usually increased) to allow for unknown influences or related amounts.

   The design relies on the factored load rather than the raw measured value.

   Their budget used a factored estimate to cover hidden expenses.

   Similaradjusted, scaled

   Oppositeunfactored, raw

   Note

   An engineer's working sense, at home in structural design: factored load, factored shear, factored moments, factored force. The factored value is the one weighed against what a member can resist. When the factored shear exceeds a set value, for instance, reinforcement is required. Cost engineering has its own version, the factored estimate, which is contrasted with a curve estimate early in a project.

4. 4
   adjective

   Produced by or having undergone factor analysis, a statistical method that groups related variables.

   The factored data revealed three underlying traits behind the survey responses.

   She reported the factored solution alongside the original correlation matrix.

   Note

   Test and survey research uses it for both ends of a factor analysis. It names the material put through the procedure, such as factored variables or a factored inventory of questionnaire items, and also the dimensions the procedure yields. Nothing is multiplied out here. That is what separates it from the algebraic sense, despite the shared vocabulary of factors.

5. 5
   adjective

   Organized around groups or categories of inputs rather than individual values.

   The factored design tested several categories of inputs at once.

   Their factored approach grouped customers before analyzing spending.

   Note

   Computing borrows the word for designs that bundle details into meaningful groups. In machine translation, factored models fill in target-side factors step by step until a translation emerges. In data integration, factored descriptions gather predicates into concepts for the domain instead of treating them all as equal. It almost always sits directly before its noun: factored models, factored data, factored decision making.

6. 6
   adjective

   Relating to the sale of unpaid invoices or debts to an outside company.

   The factored receivables gave the firm cash months before customers paid.

   Their factored debt was sold to a finance company at a discount.

   Note

   Trade finance has its own meaning: what is factored here is debt, sold on so the seller is paid before its customers pay. The word attaches to the paperwork, as in factored invoices, factored receivables and factored loan volume. The buyer who collects is called the factor, which links it to the verb. Tax law treats the gap between price paid and amount collected on a factored receivable as income like interest.

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