Kernel may refer to:

Computing

Kernel (operating system) A kernel is a computer program at the core of a computer's operating system that always has complete control over everything in the system. The kernel is also responsible for preventing and mitigating conflicts between different processes. It is ...

, 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

Mathematics

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 In functional analysis, a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS) is a Hilbert space of functions in which point evaluation is a continuous linear functional. Specifically, a Hilbert space H of functions from a set X (to \mathbb or \mathbb) is ...

Science

Seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

, inside the nut of most plants or the fruitstone of drupes, especially: ** Apricot kernel ** Corn kernel ** Palm kernel ** Wheat kernel *

Atomic nucleus The atomic nucleus is the small, dense region consisting of protons and neutrons at the center of an atom, discovered in 1911 by Ernest Rutherford at the Department_of_Physics_and_Astronomy,_University_of_Manchester , University of Manchester ...

, 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