commutator [`käm·yǝ´tād·ǝr] ELECTROMAGNETISM That part of a direct-current motor or generator which serves the dual function, in combination with brushes, of providing an electrical connection between the rotating armature winding and the stationary terminals, and of permitting reversal of the current in the armature windings. MATHEMATICS The commutator of a and b is the element c of a group such that bac = ab. QUANTUM MECHANICS The commutator of a and b is [a,b] = ab - ba. |