The Zwanzig projection operator is a mathematical device used in statistical mechanics.

Chomsky emphasizes the importance of modern formal mathematical devices in the development of grammatical theory:

Cosmological constant: A mathematical device used by Einstein to give space-time an inbuilt tendency to expand.

And by a clever mathematical device, if the buyer tries to spend the same digital dollar twice, his cover is blown.

In his paintings he looked for a harmony between vertical and horizontal elements, sometimes resorting to mathematical devices such as the golden ratio.

The Tusi-couple is a mathematical device in which a small circle rotates inside a larger circle twice the diameter of the smaller circle.

The waves are seen as physically real, rather than a mere mathematical device to record the observer's knowledge as in some other interpretations of quantum mechanics.

There he invented a mathematical device to adjust the aim of turret guns for the listing of a ship.

The Richter magnitude scale is a mathematical device to compare the size of earthquakes.

This flat-space metric has no physical significance; it is a purely mathematical device necessary for the analysis.