totality

Totality is the state or condition of being total, complete, or whole. In ordinary use it may refer to the entire amount, extent, or scope of something. In specific scientific contexts it carries a more technical meaning.

In astronomy, totality denotes the phase of a solar eclipse during which the Moon completely covers the Sun, blocking direct sunlight and casting darkness on the Earth along a narrow path called the path of totality. Observers within this path experience a dramatic dimming, a twilight-like sky, and the Sun’s corona becomes visible. The duration of totality varies from a few seconds to about seven and a half minutes, depending on the relative positions and motions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. After totality ends, the Sun’s disk reappears and daylight returns.

In philosophy and theology, totality can refer to the notion of wholeness or the all-encompassing nature of reality or being. In mathematics and logic, totality describes a relation or function that is defined for every input in its domain; a total function from set A to B yields a value in B for every element of A. More broadly, totality is used to describe the completeness of systems, theories, or phenomena.