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
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
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
See also Colonel, a senior military officer rank that is pronounced "kernel"