Concept in Definition ABC

It is said that something is equivalent to a different thing when there is a certain similarity between the two, equality or have the same value. The adjective equivalent corresponds to the noun equivalence and in any of the contexts in which both terms are used it is possible to speak of a comparison between several things that present some degree of similarity.

Equivalence in mathematics

In the sphere of mathematics and logic the concept of equivalent is expressed through the symbol =, which means that in a formulation with said symbol the parts involved have the same value. To perform operations math It is necessary to take into account the equivalence relations, which are the relations between the elements of any set and its main characteristic is the concept of equality that they carry implicit. The importance of equivalence relations is that they divide the elements of a set in different classes, called equivalence classes (each element belongs to a class in exclusive).

The equivalence principle and its classes allow us to carry out everyday mathematical operations of all kinds, handle different units by applying the equivalence between the different measurement systems or calculating the value of one currency with respect to another, among many other possibilities.

The equivalent in other disciplines

When it comes to classifying and ordering the different kingdoms of nature, biologists study the characteristics of the species and look for the similarities between them, that is, in what they are equivalent each. In this way, two different organs present equivalent functions between the male and the female of the same species (for ovaries and testes) or two respiratory systems of animals have equivalent functions (for example, the breathing mammalian lungs and gill respiration in aquatic animals).

From a political and social point of view, each country has its own administrative organization and its own organisms and to understand them it is necessary to establish some type of equivalence or comparison.

In the field of language, the synonym is the phenomenon that expresses the equivalence between two words. In this case, that two words are synonymous does not mean that they are absolutely equivalent but that they are interchangeable even though they do not mean exactly the same thing.

If we analyze a human culture we find a series of elements (a language, some traditions and a certain history). To understand anyone expression cultural it is necessary to establish some type of equivalence with another cultural expression. From this approach it is appreciated that something that seems exclusive and different at first glance, is presented in another culture with a very similar sense and, therefore, present an equivalence (for example, the different modalities from dance, the rituals of each religion or the different models of family).