Kernel

Kernel may refer to:

Computing

 * Kernel (operating system), the central component of most operating systems
 * Kernel (image processing), a matrix used for image convolution
 * Compute kernel, in GPGPU programming
 * Kernel method, in machine learning
 * Kernelization, a technique for designing efficient algorithms
 * Kernel, a routine that is executed in a vectorized loop, for example in general-purpose computing on graphics processing units
 * KERNAL, the Commodore operating system

Objects

 * Kernel (algebra), a general concept that includes:
 * Kernel (linear algebra) or null space, a set of vectors mapped to the zero vector
 * Kernel (category theory), a generalization of the kernel of a homomorphism
 * Kernel (set theory), an equivalence relation: partition by image under a function
 * Difference kernel, a binary equalizer: the kernel of the difference of two functions

Functions

 * Kernel (geometry), the set of points within a polygon from which the whole polygon boundary is visible
 * Kernel (statistics), a weighting function used in kernel density estimation to estimate the probability density function of a random variable
 * Integral kernel or kernel function, a function of two variables that defines an integral transform
 * Heat kernel, the fundamental solution to the heat equation on a specified domain
 * Convolution kernel
 * Stochastic kernel, the transition function of a stochastic process
 * Transition kernel, a generalization of a stochastic kernel
 * Pricing kernel, the stochastic discount factor used in mathematical finance
 * Positive-definite kernel, a generalization of a positive-definite matrix
 * Kernel trick, in statistics
 * Reproducing kernel Hilbert space

Science

 * Seed, inside the nut of most plants or the fruitstone of drupes, especially:
 * Apricot kernel
 * Corn kernel
 * Palm kernel
 * Wheat kernel
 * Atomic nucleus, the center of an atom

Companies

 * Kernel (agriculture company), a Ukrainian producer of sunflower oil
 * Kernel (neurotechnology company), a developer of neural interfaces
 * The Kernel Brewery, a craft brewery in London
 * The Kernel, an Internet culture website, now part of The Daily Dot

Other uses

 * Kernel (EP), by the band Seam
 * Kernel Fleck, a character in The Demonata series of books
 * Brigitte Kernel (born 1959), French journalist and writer