Transformation - Definition and Overview

• Transformation has two meanings in molecular biology:
  • Transformation is the genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the introduction, uptake and expression of foreign DNA.
  • Transformation is also the process by which normal cells are converted into cells that will continue to divide without limit. Normal cells can divide only a certain number of times before they will stop dividing. Cells that have been transformed no longer have such a limit (for example, cancer cells) are able to grow and divide potentially forever.
• In mathematics, a transformation is any of a variety of different operations that can be performed using linear algebra. For example, in 3D computer graphics, the operations of moving, scaling, or rotating a 3D model are commonly called transformations. See linear transformation, transformation geometry, transformation group; also infinitesimal transformation.
• In music, a transformation is any operation or process that may be applied to a musical variable, usually a set or tone row in twelve tone music, such as transposition, inversion, multiplication, retrograde, or rotation and combinations thereof. See: operation, permutation.
• Transformation can be a synonym for metamorphosis and shapeshifting, as in the stories featured on the Transformation Stories Archive.
• In the terms of military operations, transformation is the process of transitioning to a lightweight, fast-moving force that heavily utilizes network-centric warfare. [1] (http://www.oft.osd.mil/)
• Transformation is the title of a 2000 novel by Carol Berg