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invariance

C2
noun

Pronunciation

UK

  • /ɪnˈvɛə.ri.əns/countableuncountablenoun
  • /ɪnˈvɛː.ri.əns/countableuncountablenoun

US

  • /ˌɪnˈvɛriəns/

Description

Invariance describes the quality of staying the same even when something else changes. It is often used in math and science for a feature, rule, or relationship that does not change under certain conditions or transformations. For example, if you rotate a square, its basic shape stays the same. In that sense, the shape shows invariance under rotation.

The idea also appears in everyday explanations of systems and rules. You might say a scientific law shows invariance if it works the same way in different places or at different times. The main idea is simple: something important remains unchanged, even when the situation around it shifts.

Examples

  1. 1

    Scientific testing

    The experiment tested the invariance of the result across different laboratories.

  2. 2

    Geometry

    In geometry, students study the invariance of distance under rotation.

  3. 3

    Survey comparison

    Researchers checked for measurement invariance before comparing survey scores from different countries.

    • Domain

      measurement invariance

      when a test or survey works the same way for different groups

  4. 4

    Image recognition

    The image model uses translation invariance to recognize an object wherever it appears in the picture.

    • Domain

      translation invariance

      not depending on exact position

  5. 5

    Data algorithms

    The algorithm exploits several invariances in the data, such as scale and angle.

See also

nounproperty of remaining unchanged under specified changes or transformations

Similar

Shades of meaning

Contrast

Used with (collocations)

  • invariance under transformation
  • scale invariance
  • translation invariance
  • measurement invariance

Word family

Explore

  • transformation
  • equivariance

Forms and spellings

1 form open this card.

Main spelling

  • invariancenoun