invariant

American  

[in-vair-ee-uhnt] / ɪnˈvɛər i ənt /

adjective

1. unvarying; invariable; constant.

2. Mathematics. normal.

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noun

1. Mathematics. a quantity or expression that is constant throughout a certain range of conditions.

invariant British  

/ ɪnˈvɛərɪənt /

noun

1. maths an entity, quantity, etc, that is unaltered by a particular transformation of coordinates

   a point in space, rather than its coordinates, is an invariant

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adjective

1. maths (of a relationship or a property of a function, configuration, or equation) unaltered by a particular transformation of coordinates

2. a rare word for invariable

Other Word Forms

• invariance noun
• invariantly adverb

Etymology

Origin of invariant

First recorded in 1850–55; in- ³ + variant

Example Sentences

Essentially, an ensemble of neurons with mixed selectivity can accommodate many more dimensions of information about a task than a population of neurons with invariant functions.

From Science Daily • May 10, 2024

We get universal power laws, and the system is scale invariant: if you take a photograph of the fluid flowing through the pores and blow it up, it looks like the original.

From Scientific American • Sep. 25, 2023

Holding that number invariant required balancing out any population shifts within a state.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 2, 2021

He observed and recorded the invariant sequence of cell divisions that build an adult worm.

From Nature • Mar. 18, 2018

There are invariant and variable structures in speech that are common to all of us.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas