commutator

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English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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Back-formation from commutation (in the late 19th century), as is commutate (verb) too.

Noun

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commutator (plural commutators)

  1. An electrical switch, in a generator or motor, that periodically reverses the direction of an electric current.
    Synonyms: (dated) rheotrope, (dated) electrepeter
  2. (group theory) A binary map in a given group G, given by [g, h] = ghg−1h−1, where g and h are elements of G, which yields the group's identity if and only if the group operation commutes for g and h.
  3. (ring theory) A binary map in a given ring R, given by [a, b] = ab − ba, where a and b are elements of R, which yields the ring's zero element if and only if the multiplication operation commutes for a and b.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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Latin

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Verb

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commūtātor

  1. second/third-person singular future passive imperative of commūtō

References

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  • commutator in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
  • commutator in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016