complementarity

American  

[kom-pluh-men-tar-i-tee] / ˌkɒm plə mɛnˈtær ɪ ti /

noun

1. the quality or state of being complementary.

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complementarity British  

/ ˌkɒmplɪmənˈtærɪtɪ /

noun

1. a state or system that involves complementary components

2. physics the principle that the complete description of a phenomenon in microphysics requires the use of two distinct theories that are complementary to each other See also duality

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complementarity Scientific  

/ kŏm′plə-mən-târ′ĭ-tē /

1. The concept that the underlying properties of entities (especially subatomic particles) may manifest themselves in contradictory forms at different times, depending on the conditions of observation; thus, any physical model of an entity exclusively in terms of one form or the other will be necessarily incomplete. For example, although a unified quantum mechanical understanding of such phenomena as light has been developed, light sometimes exhibits properties of waves and sometimes properties of particles (an example of wave-particle duality).

2. See also uncertainty principle

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Etymology

Origin of complementarity

First recorded in 1910–15; complementar(y) + -ity

Example Sentences

He studied under the founder of quantum mechanics, Niels Bohr, and Bohr had coined the term “complementarity” to describe the uncanny experimental results that quantum physics produced.

From Scientific American

This phenomenon, which goes by the technical term pollination complementarity, isn’t unique to cotton.

From Science Magazine

Let me give two important examples of complementarity in action.

From Scientific American

How much complementarity between sequences of nucleotides is necessary for stable pairing interactions to occur, and what happens when sequences are not perfectly matched?

From Nature

But now that China has successfully moved up the value chain and is competing with the US in advanced technologies, the complementarity of the two economies is much less clear.

From The Guardian