A metric measurement is univocal, because it has only one possible interpretation.
The term univocal comes from the late Latin word univŏcus , which refers to that which has a single name or sound . It is an adjective that allows you to describe something that has the same value or nature as another element .
No variation
Univocal usually refers to that which has a single possible interpretation or that which maintains its meaning or essence without variation . For example: “The president's actions have a univocal meaning, which is to generate well-being for all members of the community,” “I don't believe that people have a univocal destiny already written,” “Those of us who make up the group have a vision.” univocal on this problem for many years."
The person who comments on the president's intentions has his own interpretation, which he considers unambiguous, but he cannot get the entire public to share them. Discussions about destiny are very old, and will probably never end: there are those who shelter in the idea that everything is written, but also those who prefer to believe that they are absolute owners of their destiny . Finally, an organization should have a univocal vision when dealing with problems, to unite its efforts and enhance its results.
Opposite of univocal
Take the case of the lyrics of a song . Although all listeners hear the same words, their interpretation of the content may vary . In other words, each individual interprets something differently according to their own reading, in turn influenced by multiple factors. It can be stated, therefore, that the song lacks a univocal interpretation .
Most aspects of life are subject to the interpretation of each individual, so the concept of univocality cannot easily be applied to our daily lives. And this is not limited to the lighter topics, such as the aforementioned case of the lyrics of a song, but it even reaches the most serious ones: death, happiness, depression, fundamental rights; Things that may seem rigid to each person have more than one interpretation depending on the point of view.
This inevitable freedom of living beings to understand the world in their own way, through their own sensitivity and using their own tools , leads to the existence of diversity . Although upbringing greatly influences our ideas, the passage of time helps us find a path that is often different from that of our childhood, where we feel more comfortable, where everything seems to make more sense. And that's when we begin to collide with other people when dealing with topics that are as or more delicate than the previous ones.
Although the figures in a score are univocal, each musician's interpretation may be different.
Relationship between sets
The idea of univocal, on the other hand, can refer to the correspondence that exists between an element of a set with a single element of another set . This notion appears in the field of mathematics .
Suppose that an element in a starting set (known as a domain ) has a single image in the arrival set (the co-domain ). In this case, the mathematical correspondence is univocal . Visually, the one-to-one correspondence is reflected in the fact that a single arrow emerges from each element of the image domain.
An example in which this type of relationship between the elements of two sets is fulfilled can be a function that consists of squaring the input variable : each number in the starting set has a single image, since there are no two possible results. for the square of a number. However, if the direction were the opposite, the result would be different: if we asked which numbers in the arrival set can result in those in the domain when squared, for almost all of us we would have two matches, since the positives and the negatives they give the same number when raised to the power of 2 ( -4 x -4 = 16 , as well as 4 x 4 = 16 ).