Normalises

Normalises is a verb that describes the process of making something conform to a standard or rule. It can be applied in various contexts, from social behaviour to data processing. In sociology, normalising refers to the process by which behaviours, beliefs, or practices become accepted as standard within a society, often through repeated exposure and lack of strong opposition. This can lead to the gradual acceptance of previously unconventional or even stigmatised actions.

In statistics and data science, normalising is a technique used to rescale numerical data to a standard range, typically between 0 and 1 or with a mean of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. This process is crucial for many machine learning algorithms, as it helps to prevent features with larger values from dominating those with smaller values, ensuring a more balanced contribution from all variables. It can also improve the speed and efficiency of optimisation algorithms.

In mathematics, normalisation can refer to making a vector have a magnitude of one, a process often called unit normalisation. This is important in areas like linear algebra and computer graphics. The specific method of normalisation depends heavily on the field and the objective of the process. Ultimately, normalising aims to bring elements into a consistent and comparable form, facilitating analysis, comparison, or effective operation within a given system.