generation (redirected from generational)

generation

1. the act or process of bringing into being; production or reproduction, esp of offspring

2. 

a. a successive stage in natural descent of organisms: the time between when an organism comes into being and when it reproduces

b. the individuals produced at each stage

3. the normal or average time between two such generations of a species: about 35 years for humans

4. a phase or form in the life cycle of a plant or animal characterized by a particular type of reproduction

5. production of electricity, heat, etc.

6. Physics a set of nuclei formed directly from a preceding set in a chain reaction

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generation [‚jen·ə′rā·shən]

(biology)

A group of organisms having a common parent or parents and comprising a single level in line of descent.

(computer science)

Any one of three groups used to historically classify computers according to their electronic hardware components, logical organization and software, or programming techniques; computers are thus known as first-, second-, or third-generation; a particular computer may possess characteristics of all generations simultaneously.

One of a family of data sets, related to one another in that each is a modification of the next most recent data set.

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generation - An attempt to classify the degree of sophistication of programming languages. See First generation language -- Fifth generation language.