Deformation (mathematics)

Deformation in mathematics is like stretching a piece of playdough. You can make it thicker, wider or even longer without changing the shape it started out as. It's like taking that original piece of playdough and giving it a little push or pull, or even a twist, to make it different than the way it started. In mathematics, deformation is a way to move shapes around and change them without changing their overall characteristics. You can make a square look like a circle or a rectangle look like an oval without changing what it fundamentally is. It's like stretching that playdough without tearing it apart.