homeomorphism

[ hoh-mee-uh-mawr-fiz-uhm ]

noun
  1. similarity in crystalline form but not necessarily in chemical composition.

  2. Mathematics. a function between two topological spaces that is continuous, one-to-one, and onto, and the inverse of which is continuous.

Origin of homeomorphism

1
First recorded in 1850–55; homeomorph + -ism

Other words from homeomorphism

  • ho·me·o·mor·phic, ho·me·o·mor·phous, adjective

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British Dictionary definitions for homeomorphism

homeomorphism

homoeomorphism

/ (ˌhəʊmɪəˈmɔːfɪzəm) /


noun
  1. the property, shown by certain chemical compounds, of having the same crystal form but different chemical composition

  2. maths a one-to-one correspondence, continuous in both directions, between the points of two geometric figures or between two topological spaces

Derived forms of homeomorphism

  • homeomorphic, homeomorphous, homoeomorphic or homoeomorphous, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for homeomorphism

homeomorphism

[ hō′mē-ə-môrfĭz′əm ]


  1. A close similarity in the crystal forms of unlike compounds.

  2. A one-to-one correspondence between the points of two geometric figures such that open sets in the first geometric figure correspond to open sets in the second figure and conversely. If one figure can be transformed into another without tearing or folding, there exists a homeomorphism between them. Topological properties are defined on the basis of homeomorphisms.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.