Positive

From Wikinfo

• In common usage positive is sometimes used in affirmation, as a synonym for "yes" or to express "certainty".
• Sometimes means a beneficial, nurturing or optimistic influence.
• In economics a positive statement speaks only about what are predictions of behavior of economic actors and not the normative aspect what what actors should do. See positive economics.
• In mathematics, a number is called positive if its value is greater than zero. See negative and non-negative numbers.
• In functional analysis, a bounded linear operator is positive if its spectrum consists of positive real numbers.
• In physics, one distinguishes positive and negative electric charges.
• In optics, converging lenses are also called positive lenses.
• In linguistics, positive is the form of an adjective or adverb on which comparative and superlative are formed.
• If a scientific test for a condition or hypothesis is applied, the outcome is termed positive if the condition is detected or the hypothesis confirmed (or, rather, not disproved).
• If a medical test for a certain disease is applied, the outcome is termed positive if the disease is detected.
• In the humanities and social sciences, a theory is called positive if it aims to describe what is the case as opposed to what ought to be the case. See positive science.
• In the philosophy of law and other areas, a right or freedom may be positive (see negative and positive rights).
• In philosophy, positivism is the name for theories which aim to be based on facts alone, eschewing metaphysics and religion.
• In astrology, positive is a term commonly used to described the supposedly extroverted personalities of the fire and air signs.
• In policy debate, affirmative is the team which affirms the resolution.

See also

• negative
• normative
• optimism

References

• Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Positive" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive, used under the GNU Free Documentation License