central difference operator

central difference operator

[¦sen·trəl ¦dif·rəns ′äp·ə‚rād·ər] (mathematics) A difference operator, denoted ∂, defined by the equation ∂ƒ(x) = ƒ(x + h /2) - ƒ(x-h /2), where h is a constant denoting the difference between successive points of interpolation or calculation.