conformal
adjective
con·for·mal
kən-ˈfȯr-məl 
(ˌ)kän-
1
: leaving the size of the angle between corresponding curves unchanged
conformal transformation
2
of a map
: representing small areas in their true shape
Examples of conformal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From the flat perspective, the universe is made up only of particles obeying a quantum theory known as a conformal field theory (that’s the CFT of AdS/CFT).
—
Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024
Not everything can carry over — for instance, in the number theory and function field settings, there is no counterpart to the conformal field theory ideas that enabled researchers to construct special eigensheaves in the geometric setting.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 19 July 2024
In the early 1990s, Beilinson and Drinfeld showed how to use conformal field theory to build certain particularly nice eigensheaves.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 19 July 2024
And so physicists have continued to study conformal field theories by looking at their associated modular forms.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2023
Conformal Cyclic Cosmology Another alternative is conformal cyclic cosmology, the controversial brainchild of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Roger Penrose, who was inspired by a striking similarity between the birth and predicted death of the universe.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2023
In the case of AdS/CFT, the duality is between a model of spacetime known as anti-de Sitter space (AdS)—which has constant negative curvature, unlike our own de Sitter universe—and a quantum system called conformal field theory (CFT), which lacks gravity but has quantum entanglement.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Dec. 2022
But some mathematicians may be treating me with instruments strictly intended for topological geometry; there’s no guarantee that a point is aware of the compass that draws it or the point set that starts from it, let alone the conformal transformations of the group that handles it inconsiderately.
—Claudio Magris, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021
Maldacena looked at the conformal field theory describing D-branes without gravity on the one hand and an AdS theory with one more dimension of space and including gravity on the other.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 25 Sep. 2024
Not everything can carry over — for instance, in the number theory and function field settings, there is no counterpart to the conformal field theory ideas that enabled researchers to construct special eigensheaves in the geometric setting.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 19 July 2024
In the early 1990s, Beilinson and Drinfeld showed how to use conformal field theory to build certain particularly nice eigensheaves.
—Erica Klarreich, Quanta Magazine, 19 July 2024
And so physicists have continued to study conformal field theories by looking at their associated modular forms.
—Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 9 Mar. 2023
Conformal Cyclic Cosmology Another alternative is conformal cyclic cosmology, the controversial brainchild of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Roger Penrose, who was inspired by a striking similarity between the birth and predicted death of the universe.
—Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 14 Mar. 2023
In the case of AdS/CFT, the duality is between a model of spacetime known as anti-de Sitter space (AdS)—which has constant negative curvature, unlike our own de Sitter universe—and a quantum system called conformal field theory (CFT), which lacks gravity but has quantum entanglement.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Dec. 2022
But some mathematicians may be treating me with instruments strictly intended for topological geometry; there’s no guarantee that a point is aware of the compass that draws it or the point set that starts from it, let alone the conformal transformations of the group that handles it inconsiderately.
—Claudio Magris, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021
Maldacena looked at the conformal field theory describing D-branes without gravity on the one hand and an AdS theory with one more dimension of space and including gravity on the other.
—Anil Ananthaswamy, Scientific American, 1 Mar. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near conformal
Cite this Entry
“Conformal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conformal. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
conformal
adjective
con·for·mal
kən-ˈfȯr-məl
(ˈ)kän-
: representing small areas in their true shape
a conformal map
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share