Homotopy

Homotopy is a concept from mathematics that describes how one shape or path can be smoothly transformed into another without tearing or gluing. Imagine stretching or bending a rubber band into a different shape; if you can do this without breaking it, the two shapes are said to be homotopic. It’s a way of understanding when two objects are fundamentally the same in a topological sense, even if they look different initially. Homotopy helps mathematicians study properties that remain unchanged through continuous deformation.