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Ansatz Etymology- Frequently Asked Questions
I began an investigation into etymology after wondering recently, “do I have to capitalize ‘ANSATZ’?” Today, I’d love to share my discoveries.
DO I HAVE TO CAPITALIZE “ANSATZ?”
In most cases, the answer is, “no.” “Ansatz” is a common noun and should only be capitalized in the middle of a sentence when preceded by a proper noun describing that particular ansatz. We all know scientists are very selfless, rarely naming anything after themselves, though there are a few instances where a scientist’s name precedes a theorem, algorithm, or even an ansatz. For example, similarly to the capitalization of “museum” in “Metropolitan Museum,” the “Bethe Ansatz” should technically be capitalized, though I’ve seen few follow this rule throughout my investigation.
WHAT IS THE ETYMOLOGY OF “ANSATZ?”
“Ansatz” is defined as "beginning, initial statement, estimate," according to Merriam-Webster. It is borrowed from the German noun derivative of ansetzen - "to put to, fix, set, estimate." Ansetzen is derived from an - "on, at" - and setzen - "to set, place." This could be used in a German sentence like, “Er versuchte es mit einem anderen ansatz,” which roughly translates to, “He tried with another approach.”
“Ansatz” was first used in 1942 - this year also included the first use of “antineutron,” “atomic mass unit”, “Laplace Transform,” “Punnett Square,” “RNA,” and “slope-intercept form.”
WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY “ANSATZ?”
In its most common use in technical fields, an ansatz is an initial guess to an algorithm. And in my studies on quantum algorithms, say with VQE, an ansatz is a parameterized, initial guess, with parameters changing each iteration of the algorithm.
WHAT IS THE PLURAL OF “ANSATZ?”
The plural of "ansatz" is "ansätze," according to Peter Shor, though "ansatze" and "ansatzes" are also common and not necessarily incorrect.
WHAT DOES AN ANSATZ LOOK LIKE?
Want to learn more about ansätze or their use in quantum algorithms? Check out an ansatz in action here or here, or feel free to schedule a no-commitment demo here.
I began an investigation into etymology after wondering recently, “do I have to capitalize ‘ANSATZ’?” Today, I’d love to share my discoveries.
DO I HAVE TO CAPITALIZE “ANSATZ?”
In most cases, the answer is, “no.” “Ansatz” is a common noun and should only be capitalized in the middle of a sentence when preceded by a proper noun describing that particular ansatz. We all know scientists are very selfless, rarely naming anything after themselves, though there are a few instances where a scientist’s name precedes a theorem, algorithm, or even an ansatz. For example, similarly to the capitalization of “museum” in “Metropolitan Museum,” the “Bethe Ansatz” should technically be capitalized, though I’ve seen few follow this rule throughout my investigation.
WHAT IS THE ETYMOLOGY OF “ANSATZ?”
“Ansatz” is defined as "beginning, initial statement, estimate," according to Merriam-Webster. It is borrowed from the German noun derivative of ansetzen - "to put to, fix, set, estimate." Ansetzen is derived from an - "on, at" - and setzen - "to set, place." This could be used in a German sentence like, “Er versuchte es mit einem anderen ansatz,” which roughly translates to, “He tried with another approach.”
“Ansatz” was first used in 1942 - this year also included the first use of “antineutron,” “atomic mass unit”, “Laplace Transform,” “Punnett Square,” “RNA,” and “slope-intercept form.”
WHAT DO I MEAN WHEN I SAY “ANSATZ?”
In its most common use in technical fields, an ansatz is an initial guess to an algorithm. And in my studies on quantum algorithms, say with VQE, an ansatz is a parameterized, initial guess, with parameters changing each iteration of the algorithm.
WHAT IS THE PLURAL OF “ANSATZ?”
The plural of "ansatz" is "ansätze," according to Peter Shor, though "ansatze" and "ansatzes" are also common and not necessarily incorrect.
WHAT DOES AN ANSATZ LOOK LIKE?
Want to learn more about ansätze or their use in quantum algorithms? Check out an ansatz in action here or here, or feel free to schedule a no-commitment demo here.
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