A replacement chosen to be sufficiently close for a stated purpose. Quantitative usefulness requires specifying the comparison and, when possible, an approximation error or error bound.
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Approximation refers to the process of finding a value or representation that is close to an actual value but not exact. It is often used in various fields, including mathematics, science, and engineering, when exact values are difficult or impossible to obtain. Approximations are useful in simplifying complex problems, making calculations more manageable, and providing quick estimates.