Polarity may refer to:

Science

Electrical polarity An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is measured as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface or into a control volume. The moving par ...

, direction of electrical current *

Polarity (mutual inductance) In electrical engineering, dot marking convention, or alphanumeric marking convention, or both, can be used to denote the same relative instantaneous polarity of two mutually inductive components such as between transformer windings. These ...

, the relationship between components such as transformer windings *

Polarity (projective geometry) In geometry, a striking feature of projective planes is the symmetry of the roles played by points and lines in the definitions and theorems, and (plane) duality is the formalization of this concept. There are two approaches to the subject of du ...

, in mathematics, a duality of order two *

Polarity in embryogenesis In developmental biology, an embryo is divided into two hemispheres: the animal pole and the vegetal pole within a blastula. The animal pole consists of small cells that divide rapidly, in contrast with the vegetal pole below it. In some cases, the ...

, the animal and vegetal poles within a blastula *

Cell polarity Cell polarity refers to spatial differences in shape, structure, and function within a cell. Almost all cell types exhibit some form of polarity, which enables them to carry out specialized functions. Classical examples of polarized cells are desc ...

, differences in the shape, structure, and function of cells *

Chemical polarity In chemistry, polarity is a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole moment, with a negatively charged end and a positively charged end. Polar molecules must contain one or more polar ...

, in chemistry, a separation of electric charge *

Magnetic polarity A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...

, north or south poles of a magnet *

Polar reciprocation In geometry, a pole and polar are respectively a point and a line that have a unique reciprocal relationship with respect to a given conic section. Polar reciprocation in a given circle is the transformation of each point in the plane into it ...

, a concept in geometry also known as polarity *

Trilinear polarity In Euclidean geometry, trilinear polarity is a certain correspondence between the points in the Plane (geometry), plane of a triangle not lying on the sides of the triangle and lines in the plane of the triangle not passing through the Vertex (g ...

, a concept in geometry of the triangle *Polarity of a literal, in mathematical logic

Humanities

Polarity (international relations) Polarity in international relations is any of the various ways in which power is distributed within the international system. It describes the nature of the international system at any given period of time. One generally distinguishes three types o ...

, a description of the distribution of power within the international system *

Polarity of gender In linguistics, polarity of gender is when a lexical item takes the opposite grammatical gender than expected. The phenomenon is widespread in Afroasiatic languages such as Semitic and Cushitic tongues. For example, in Somali, which is a Cushitic ...

, when a word takes the opposite grammatical gender than expected *

Polarity item In linguistics, a polarity item is a lexical item that is associated with affirmation or negation. An affirmation is a positive polarity item, abbreviated PPI or AFF. A negation is a negative polarity item, abbreviated NPI or NEG. The linguistic ...

, in linguistics, the sensitiveness of some expression to negative or affirmative contexts *

Affirmation and negation In linguistics and grammar, affirmation (abbreviated ) and negation () are ways in which grammar encodes positive and negative polarity into verb phrases, clauses, or other utterances. An affirmative (positive) form is used to express the validit ...

, also known as grammatical polarity *

Sexual polarity Sexual polarity is a concept of dualism between masculine and feminine. More generally, the term may be used to denote mutual opposition between sexual ideologies. Metaphorical symbolism of sexual polarity is deeply intertwined in cultural ...

, a concept of dualism between masculine and feminine

Other uses

Polarity (game) ''Polarity'' is a board game that requires strategic thinking and dexterity to control hovering magnetic discs. Development ''Polarity'' was invented in 1985 by failed Canadian artist and designer Douglas Seaton. It was first published in 1986. Th ...

, a board game * ''Polarity'' (Decrepit Birth album), 2010 * ''Polarity'' (Norman album), 2003 * ''Polarity'' (The Wedding album), 2007

Science

Humanities

Other uses

See also