Convolve vs. convolute

Question

I understand that for common usage these words have distinct meanings. However in mathematics there is a process called convolution, and sometimes you hear "you need to convolve X" and sometimes "you need to convolute X". Similarly with related terms e.g. "to deconvolute the data" and "to deconvolve the data".

From a bit of Google snooping I get the feeling that they are simply interchangeable, much like oriented/orientated. (Although the spellchecker flags "deconvolute" but not "deconvolve" in the above paragraph). Indeed, searching "convolve" in Wikipedia redirects you to the Convolution article I linked above.

Are these words interchangeable? If so, is there so regional difference between their usage? I am compelled to snobbishly adhere to British English, after all.

EDIT: The answer of user545424 doesn't convince me. For instance, there's an incomplete debate amongst engineers here with one saying that convolute is more common, and others mentioning that convolve doesn't even appear in dictionaries. A Google Ngrams search also suggests that convolute is more prevalent, despite a decline in that and a rise in convolve. However, these last two cases are inconclusive because of the split between the common context of these words and the mathematical procedure named as such, where I'm only interested in the latter.

Does anyone else care to present an argument backed up with sources?

Answer 1

The mathematical procedure is called convolution or deconvolution, and you convolve or deconvolve two functions; you do not convolute or deconvolute two functions.

Outside of math convolve and convolute mean pretty much the same thing:

to coil up; form into a twisted shape.

Although deconvolute and deconvolve are not in the dictionary, I imagine you could use them colloquially as a verb to mean:

to uncoil

Answer 2

Setting aside the fact that "convolve" is the usual mathematical term defined for this process, there is something else that tips the scales clearly in favor of "convolve" over "convolute":

Convoluted is an adjective.

Convolved is a verb (both transitive and intransitive).

As such, while you might say that "signal A is convolved with signal B", to say that "signal A is convoluted with signal B" would be butchery of the English language. (And using convoluted as an adjective isn't terribly useful, unless you wanted to complain about the convoluted process.) So convolve and its associated forms appear to fit the process of convolution, and signal processing and math in general, better.

Answer 3

Thanks for raising this question. It's a pity it hasn't attracted enough attention. Probably, it's the usual situation that technically minded people do not care about the form as much as they should.

Personally, I always use convolve and convolved and tend to correct people using convolute or convoluted. I work in an international environment and I have noticed that usually people who speak better English tend to use convolve. Mathematica calls its function convolve and Matlab documentation reads:

conv(u,v) convolves vectors u and v.

That said, I cannot find any linguistic reference, that's how I landed on this page.

Answer 4

I work in a physics lab, and when I hear someone say that the array or signal or what have you is "convoluted", I think of the array as being complex with a multitude of subtle, confusing arguments, which is of course kind of silly. I prefer to say that the array is "convolved" in order to avoid any confusion. My Oxford English Dictionary includes a mathematical definition for the word "convolve" but not for "convolute". Interestingly, both entries contain the English definition of rolling/coiling. Also, my boss, who has been in this field much longer than I, always uses "convolute". I still think "convolve" is better.

... but then I wonder, should the noun conjugation of "convolve" be "convolvement"???

Answer 5

I typed the following word pairs, and spell-check balks at "convolve."

evolve --> evolution;

devolve --> devolution;

revolve --> revolution;

convolve --> convolution;

Nonetheless, in my experience, for the mathematical operation of combining two functions, "convolve" is preferred.

I found the following web site, which (of course) includes the first three -volve words, but not "convolve": http://wordinfo.info/unit/2323/s:advolution

Living language isn't logical, and we are constantly back-forming words that become standard. As for me, I will continue to use "convolve."