congruence

American  

[kong-groo-uhns, kuhn-groo-, kuhng-] / ˈkɒŋ gru əns, kənˈgru-, kəŋ- /

noun

1. the quality or state of agreeing or corresponding.

2. Mathematics. a relation between two numbers indicating that the numbers give the same remainder when divided by some given number.

3. Geometry. the relationship that exists between two figures when one can be superimposed over the other and all their angles and sides coincide, as a mirror image.

   the congruence of trapezoids with identical measurements.

---

congruence British  

/ ˈkɒŋɡrʊəns, ˈkɒŋɡrʊənsɪ /

noun

1. the quality or state of corresponding, agreeing, or being congruent

2. maths the relationship between two integers, x and y, such that their difference, with respect to another positive integer called the modulus, n, is a multiple of the modulus. Usually written x ≡ y (mod n ), as in 25 ≡ 11 ( mod 7 )

---

Other Word Forms

• noncongruence
  noun

Etymology

Origin of congruence

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin congruentia, derivative of congruent- congruent; see -ence

Explanation

Congruence means compatibility. If you've been studying French, you might be glad to note, when learning Spanish, that there are many areas of congruence in grammar and vocabulary between the two Romance languages. In geometry, shapes are congruent when they are exactly the same, such as squares with three-inch sides. In a more general context, congruent means "in agreement with," as in "the school's rules are congruent with expectations for behavior at home."

Example Sentences

Congruence is extended in any space beyond parallel rects to all rects by two axioms depending on perpendicularity.

From The Concept of Nature The Tarner Lectures Delivered in Trinity College, November 1919 by Whitehead, Alfred North

Congruence depends on motion, and thereby is generated the connexion between spatial congruence and temporal congruence.

From The Concept of Nature The Tarner Lectures Delivered in Trinity College, November 1919 by Whitehead, Alfred North

Congruence is a particular example of the fundamental fact of recognition.

From The Concept of Nature The Tarner Lectures Delivered in Trinity College, November 1919 by Whitehead, Alfred North