inverses

Noun

inverse (plural inverses)

1. An inverted state: a state in which something has been turned (properly) upside down or (loosely) inside out or backwards.
   • Cowgirl is the inverse of missionary.
2. The reverse of any procedure or process.
   • Uninstalling is the inverse of installation.
3. A ratio etc. in which the antecedents and consequents are switched.
   • The inverse of a:b is b:a.
4. The result of a circle inversion; the set of all such points; the curve described by such a set.
   • The inverse P‘ of a point P is the point on a ray from the center O through P such that OP × OP‘ = r² or the set of all such points.
5. The non-truth-preserving proposition constructed by negating both the premise and conclusion of an initially given proposition.
   • "Anything that isn't a dog doesn't go to heaven" is the inverse of "All dogs go to heaven." More generally, ¬ mathsf p→¬ mathsf q is the inverse of mathsf p→ mathsf q and is equivalent to the converse proposition mathsf q→ mathsf p.
6. (addition) The negative of a given number.
   • The additive inverse of x is -x, as x-x=0, as 0 is the additive identity element.

See all 18 meanings of inverse