pseudoscalar

American

[soo-duh-skey-ler] / ˌsu dəˈskeɪ lər /

adjective

Physics, Mathematics.

a scalar quantity that changes sign when the sense of the orientation of the coordinate system is changed.

pseudoscalar British

/ ˌsjuːdəʊˈskeɪlə /

noun

maths a variable quantity that has magnitude but not direction and is an odd function of the coordinates Compare pseudovector scalar tensor vector

"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

Etymology

Origin of pseudoscalar

First recorded in 1940–45; pseudo- + scalar

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023