lögmálum

Lögmálum is the Icelandic term for laws or principles in science, mathematics, and logic. It denotes general statements or formulas that describe regularities in phenomena and are typically expressed as concise propositions or equations. The form lögmálum appears in texts as the plural in certain grammatical cases, referring to several such statements.

In science, laws are generalizations derived from observation and experiment that describe how quantities relate under specified conditions. They are used to predict outcomes within their scope and are usually considered descriptive rather than explanatory. The distinction between a law and a theory can be subtle, but laws generally aim to express consistent relationships rather than underlying mechanisms.

In mathematics and logic, laws can be formal rules or identities that hold universally for particular systems, such as algebraic rules or logical equivalences. Lögmál can thus denote both physical laws and mathematical statements, as well as broader principles that govern a field of study.

Etymology: lögmál combines lög (law) and mál (statement or formulation). The word has long-standing usage in Icelandic scholarly and scientific writing and remains a standard label for broad principles and formal statements.