The terms "covariant" and "contravariant" were introduced by James Joseph Sylvester in 1853 in the context of algebraic invariant theory, where, for instance, a system of simultaneous equations is contravariant in the variables.
The terms "covariant" and "contravariant" were introduced by James Joseph Sylvester in 1853 in the context of algebraic invariant theory. A system of simultaneous equations is contravariant in the variables. This is for instance.