The parity of the rocks on each side of the balance allows it to remain level.
An example of parity is parity in income, where two or more groups of people earn the same amount of money.
- the state or condition of being the same in power, value, rank, etc.; equality
- resemblance; similarity
- equivalence in value of one currency expressed in terms of another country's currency
- equality of value at a given ratio between different kinds of money, commodities, etc.
- a price for certain farm products, usually maintained by government price supports, designed to keep the purchasing power of the farmer at the level of a designated base period
- Math. the condition existing between two integers that are both odd or both even
- Physics a symmetry property of a wave function: expressed as +1 if no difference can be detected between the wave function and its mirror image, and as –1 if the wave function is changed only in sign
Origin of parityFrench parité from Classical Latin paritas from par, equal: see par
Origin of parityfrom Classical Latin parere, to bear (see -parous) + -ity
- Equality, as in amount, status, or value.
- Functional equivalence, as in the weaponry or military strength of adversaries: “A problem that has troubled the U.S.-Soviet relationship from the beginning has been the issue of parity” ( Charles William Maynes )
- The equivalent in value of a sum of money expressed in terms of a different currency at a fixed official rate of exchange.
- Equality of prices of goods or securities in two different markets.
- A level for farm-product prices maintained by governmental support and intended to give farmers the same purchasing power they had during a chosen base period.
- Mathematics The even or odd quality of an integer. If two integers are both odd or both even, they are said to have the same parity; if one is odd and one even, they have different parity.
- Abbr. P Physics a. An intrinsic symmetry property of a physical system, such as a subatomic particle, that specifies how the system would behave if the three spatial coordinates were reversed from x, y, z to −x, −y, −z.b. A quantum number, either +1 (even) or −1 (odd), that mathematically represents this property.
- Computers a. The even or odd quality of the number of 1's or 0's in a binary code, often used to determine the integrity of data especially after transmission.b. A parity bit.
Origin of parityFrench parité from Old French parite from Late Latin paritās from pār par- equal ; see pair .
- The condition of having given birth.
- The number of children borne by one woman.
Origin of parityLatin parere to give birth, bring forth ; see perə-1 in Indo-European roots. -ity
(countable and uncountable, plural parities)
- (uncountable) Equality; comparability of strength or intensity.
- (mathematics, countable) A set with the property of having all of its elements belonging to one of two disjoint subsets, especially a set of integers split in subsets of even and odd elements.
- Parity is always preserved in such operations.
- (mathematics, countable) The classification of an element of a set with parity into one of the two sets.
- The particles' parities can switch at random.
- (physics, countable) Symmetry of interactions under spatial inversion.
- (games, countable) In reversi, the last move within a given sector of the board.
- (medicine, countable) The number of times a woman has given birth.
- (agriculture, countable) The number of times a sow has farrowed.
From Latin paritas, from pariÅ (“give birth")
parity - Computer Definition
- The state or quality of equality, i.e., being the same, or identical.
- In the context of mathematics, the quality of being equally odd or equally even. If two numbers are both odd in value, or both are even in value, parity exists. If one number is odd and the other is even, no parity exists.
- In error control, the quality of being equally odd or equally even. If the dataset, as transmitted, has an odd (or even) number of 1 bits and the dataset, as received, has an odd (or even) number of 1 bits, parity exists. If the dataset, as transmitted, has an odd (or even) number of 1 bits and the dataset, as received, has an even (or odd) number of 1 bits, parity does not exist. See also error control, parity bit, and parity check.
parity - Investment & Finance Definition
Equality. The term is used in the foreign exchange market to talk about two currencies’ parity with each other. For instance, as the exchange rate for the dollar and euro both approach 1, they are said to be at parity.