Definition of

Overlap

Images

A photo overlay occurs if someone places one image on top of another.

Superposition is the act and result of superimposing . This verb , which comes from the Latin word superponĕre , refers to placing something on top of something else or making two elements overlap . For example: «The overlapping of papers on the desk will not help you find the document you are looking for» , «There is an overlap in schedules: if I go to Dr. Laurroetz's conference, I cannot attend the colloquium on bioethics» , « This overlap of functions is not compatible with the position he holds .

Suppose a person begins to spread out photographs on a table. Once the entire surface is covered, start placing more photos on top of the previous ones. In this way, it creates a superimposition of photographs : there are images that are located on top of others, and this prevents the correct display of all of them.

Overlapping interests or functions

Another case of overlap can be found when someone carries out two activities that imply a conflict of interest . If a man is an official in the Ministry of Energy of a country and also works as an advisor to an oil company, there is an overlap of functions : the subject cannot work for the State if he also defends the interests of a private company .

It should be noted that this particular case is not so common, since companies, and much more the State, have resources to prevent their employees from putting their interests at risk ; For example, there are clauses in employment contracts that limit the person's activities outside the workplace, as well as agreements external to the contract that address these issues in a specific and very detailed way.

Employees of hardware or software development companies, for example, must sign confidentiality agreements through which they agree not to share or disseminate information related to the projects they are working on, as well as any data that comes to their attention. your knowledge about the company's future plans, its financial status or its relationship with the competition, among many other points that may be considered private .

Likewise, when any of the activities that an employee carries out outside of their job may generate an overlap of interests , the entities with which they have signed a contract must take action on the matter and resolve the conflict. This is very common in cases in which a position mentioned in the previous paragraph is combined with writing on news blogs in the same field, for example, since there is a risk of confidential information being leaked.

Papers

When two or more elements overlap, superposition occurs.

The term in mathematics, geology and other fields

The idea of ​​superposition also appears in fields such as mathematics (the principle of superposition is applied to decompose a problem into two or more problems of lesser complexity) and geology (when successive layers of sediments accumulate, leaving the oldest ones in the lower sector).

In video editing , the superimposition of images is often done with the intention of changing the background of one of them, to give the impression that an object or subject is in a different place from where it was when it was filmed. It has taken decades of research and development to improve overlay techniques to prevent them from being perceived by the public, and today it is quite possible to achieve truly impressive results, forcing experts to blink a few times before rendering a verdict.

The superposition theorem , finally, is used in electronics and indicates that the effect generated by two, three or more sources on an impedance is equal to the sum of all the effects of each of the sources considered separately.