nonidentity

English

Alternative forms

• non-identity

Etymology

non- +‎ identity

Noun

nonidentity (plural nonidentities)

1. Difference, distinction; failure to be identical.
   • 1993, Ordway Hilton, Scientific Examination of Questioned Documents‎^[1], →ISBN, page 395:

     No scientific examiner would select only chance variations to establish nonidentity of two specimens when the fundamental points of identification stamp them as originating at a single source.

2. (mathematics) An operator which modifies its operand, and which therefore is not the identity.
   • 1995, Thomas A. Whitelaw, Introduction to Abstract Algebra‎^[2], →ISBN, page 99:

     Moreover, in a group of prime order p, every non-identity element (i.e. every element other than 1) has period p.

Derived terms

• nonidentity problem