Formation

Formation may refer to:

Formation flying, aerobatics performed with several aircraft

Formation (military), a high-level military organization

Tactical formation, the physical deployment of military forces

Mathematics and science

Class formation, an axiomatization of class field theory in mathematics

Formation (group theory), a class of groups

Formation (stratigraphy), a formally named rock stratum or geological unit

Rock formation, a mass of bedrock displaying a curious or interesting shape - see List of rock formations

Cave formation, a speleothem

(Oxide) formation, anodization of a metal during manufacturing of electrolytic capacitors

In the study of ecosystems, a community formed by groups of plants which have adapted themselves to similar climatic conditions

Linguistics

Derivation (linguistics), the process of creating new lexemes from other lexemes

Back-formation, a word formed from an erroneous reconstruction an original linguistic form from a form mistakenly thought to be derived from it

Formation (song)

"Formation" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. Its music video was released on February 6, 2016, along with the single release, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.

Background and release

"Formation" was released on February 6, 2016, accompanied by its official music video. The song was made available for free download via the subscription-based music streaming service Tidal, and the music video was uploaded on Beyoncé's official website, through an unlisted YouTube video of her personal account.

Marketing for the song happened post-release and was heavily driven by social media and word-of-mouth. "Formation" was released on the eve of Beyoncé's halftime show performance on Super Bowl 50, where she performed the song for the first time.

Composition

The Guardian's Alex Macpherson wrote the song "musically transpires '7/11'".

Critical reception

Pitchfork named the song "Best New Track" of the day, with Britt Julious comparing it to "Flawless" and writing that "For Beyoncé (and for her listeners, too), the unapologetic embracing of oneself and the power one can harness when making a name, livelihood, and legacy can’t ever be ignored or taken for granted." Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley, a professor of African Studies at University of Texas at Austin, writes for Time that the song, that many called "political" because of its references, "differs radically from other post-Ferguson protests songs like Trip Lee’s “Coulda Been Me” or Rihanna’s “American Oxygen” video, which focus on black men’s deaths," calling African American women to stand side by side ("in formation").The Daily Beast calls the song "a fiery black power anthem and call to arms". Syreeta McFadden for The Guardian notes that the video depicts archetypical southern black women "in ways that we haven't seen frequently represented in popular art or culture".

Geological formation

A formation or geological formation is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy. A formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable lithology, facies or other similar properties. Formations are not defined on the thickness of the rock strata they consist of and the thickness of different formations can therefore vary widely.

The concept of formally defined layers or strata is central to the geologic discipline of stratigraphy. Formations can be divided into members and are themselves frequently parcelled together in groups.

Usefulness of formations

The definition and recognition of formations allow geologists to correlate geologic strata across wide distances between outcrops and exposures of rock strata.

Formations were initially described to be the essential geologic time markers based on relative ages and the law of superposition. The divisions of the geological time scale were the formations described and put in chronological order by the geologists and stratigraphers of the 18th and 19th centuries.