Definition
Plain language
A mathematical way of saying one set of values is more spread out, or more concentrated, than another.
As stated in the literature
A preorder on vectors capturing how 'spread out' one distribution is relative to another; in the coherence-theory optics study, less-coherent light's achievable responses nest by majorization order inside more-coherent light's.
Also called: majorization order
Why it matters: It provides a precise way to compare how concentrated or spread out two sets of values are, which can reveal that one set of possibilities nests inside another.
For example, it formalizes the idea that one list of values, like a more evenly spread set of incomes, is less concentrated than another.
Heard on the show
“The system is given a recent theory paper — about coherence and what's called majorization order.”Episode 002 — An AI Ran a Real Optics Lab for 21 Hours and Found a Transformer-Shaped Pattern in Light