Learn English – Transform or transformation

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Is there a difference between the words transform (noun) and transformation?

Let me describe my problem. I have a mathematical model which I can transform into a better model with help of a data matrix. Should I call this matrix a transform, or should I call it a transformation?

An example sentence where I would use this is:

To recognize with the optimized model, first the transform(ation) is applied and then the likelihoods are calculated.

Best Answer

In the particular domain you're referencing, both transform and transformation have an established history of usage.

For example, we speak of the Hough transform or the Fourier transform. We also talk about affine transformations or homothetic transformations.

I'm not aware of any specific rules, but in general, I've noticed that "named" objects tend to be referenced as the foo transform, while unnamed or otherwise generic ones use the foo transformation.

In this case, I would probably use transformation since it appears you're referring to a generic transformation matrix. So:

To recognize with the optimized model, first the transformation is applied and then the likelihoods are calculated.

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