The nature of an action that leaves something as it was before

Question

E.g. entering the kitchen, preparing food, and leaving a mess; or entering the kitchen, preparing food, and leaving everything as it was before.

How do you call this concept? "I take some actions, but after I am done, everything is the same". This also applies that you can repeat the exact same action.

EDIT: I feel this concept in my current living situation. For the week I live in an Airbnb apartment in a different city, and when I come home on the weekend, I could get a dismissal any day and I would not have to "clean up after myself", as opposed when I had a rented flat in the city.

It's called cleaning up after yourself. Related: What is the meaning of the phrase “clean up after” and when and how to use it? — Lawrence, Mar 10 '17 at 09:21
In English, we normally ask: What do you call...? Please edit your post, and spread the word :) — Mari-Lou A, Aug 01 '17 at 07:03
a single word request for this ? may be a tall order. consider adding a phrase request too — lbf, Mar 05 '18 at 19:42

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 10 '17 at 09:38

1

In mathematics or computer science, the most common term for this property is idempotence, and an action (or mathematical transformation, or computer program) is said to be idempotent.

Technically, the term means "the ability to be performed repeatedly without changing anything".

I've not heard the word used outside of those contexts except as a joke.

answered Mar 10 '17 at 09:38

Mark Thompson

2,354

I feel like idempotence is different because there is an initial change. E.g. setNumberTo5(x) is idempotent, but there is an initial change. I just means you can apply it multiple times without any further change. – hgiesel Mar 10 '17 at 09:49
That's a good point, especially with regards to math. In computer science, though, the term generally means "causes no change", even on the first try. For example, in software design, a good unit test is always idempotent - after running, it leaves the system in the same state it had prior to running the test. – Mark Thompson Mar 10 '17 at 09:58
"left (or finished or exited) without leaving a trace." – Xanne Mar 10 '17 at 10:20

hgiesel · Answer 2 · 2018-03-05T19:48:18.950

0

A functional term I have come across, which describes this notion is:

"without side effect"

The world is the same when you started the action, as it was before. Of course that's not really the case, but it feels like it.

EDIT: Another phrase I've come across, and which describes this situation is "with a clean slate". E.g. "Every week I start with a clean slate."

edited Mar 05 '18 at 19:48

answered Apr 09 '17 at 11:53

hgiesel

162

The nature of an action that leaves something as it was before

2 Answers2