itimal
Itimal is a hypothetical term used in information theory and cognitive science to denote a minimal-information representation that preserves essential structure and function of a system. The concept treats complexity as reducible to the smallest sufficient set of parameters or codes, discarding redundant or nonessential details. The name blends “information” with the suffix “-imal,” echoing terms such as minimal.
The scope of itimal can cover data encoding, model reduction, and abstraction in both digital and biological
Core principles associated with itimal include sufficiency, invariance under specified transformations, and scalability. Itimal emphasizes the
Applications of itimal concepts appear in theoretical analyses of compression limits, simplification in machine learning models,
Criticism centers on the lack of a single formal definition, which can hinder cross-disciplinary communication, and