The difference between Fundamental and Radical
When used as nouns, fundamental means a leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system, whereas radical means a member of the most progressive wing of the liberal party.
When used as adjectives, fundamental means pertaining to the foundation or basis, whereas radical means favoring fundamental change, or change at the root cause of a matter.
check bellow for the other definitions of Fundamental and Radical
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Fundamental as a noun (usually plural):
A leading or primary principle, rule, law, or article, which serves as the groundwork of a system; an essential part
Examples:
"one of the fundamentals of linear algebra"
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Fundamental as a noun (physics):
The lowest frequency of a periodic waveform.
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Fundamental as a noun (music):
The lowest partial of a complex tone.
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Fundamental as an adjective:
Pertaining to the foundation or basis; serving for the foundation.
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Fundamental as an adjective:
Essential, as an element, principle, or law; important; original; elementary.
Examples:
"a fundamental truth; a fundamental axiom"
"A need for belonging seems fundamental to humans."
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Radical as an adjective:
Favoring fundamental change, or change at the root cause of a matter.
Examples:
"His beliefs are radical."
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Radical as an adjective (botany, not comparable):
Pertaining to a root .
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Radical as an adjective:
Pertaining to the basic or intrinsic nature of something.
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Radical as an adjective:
Thoroughgoing; far-reaching.
Examples:
"The spread of the cancer required radical surgery, and the entire organ was removed."
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Radical as an adjective (lexicography, not comparable):
Of or pertaining to the root of a word.
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Radical as an adjective (phonology, phonetics, not comparable, of a sound):
Produced using the root of the tongue.
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Radical as an adjective (chemistry, not comparable):
Involving free radicals.
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Radical as an adjective (math):
Relating to a radix or mathematical root.
Examples:
"a radical quantity; a radical sign"
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Radical as an adjective (slang, 1980s & 1990s):
Excellent; awesome.
Examples:
"That was a radical jump!"
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Radical as a noun (historical: 19th-century Britain):
A member of the most progressive wing of the Liberal Party; someone favouring social reform (but generally stopping short of socialism).
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Radical as a noun (historical: early 20th-century France):
A member of an influential, centrist political party favouring moderate social reform, a republican constitution, and secular politics.
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Radical as a noun:
A person with radical opinions.
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Radical as a noun (arithmetic):
A root (of a number or quantity).
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Radical as a noun (linguistics):
In logographic writing systems such as the Chinese writing system, the portion of a character (if any) that provides an indication of its meaning, as opposed to phonetic.
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Radical as a noun (linguistics):
In Semitic languages, any one of the set of consonants (typically three) that make up a root.
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Radical as a noun (chemistry):
A group of atoms, joined by covalent bonds, that take part in reactions as a single unit.
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Radical as a noun (organic chemistry):
A free radical.
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Radical as a noun (algebra, commutative algebra, ring theory, of an [[ideal]]):
Given an ideal I in a commutative ring R, another ideal, denoted Rad(I) or \sqrt{I}, such that an element x ∈ R is in Rad(I) if, for some positive integer n, xn ∈ I; equivalently, the intersection of all prime ideals containing I.
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Radical as a noun (algebra, ring theory, of a [[ring]]):
Given a ring R, an ideal containing elements of R that share a property considered, in some sense, "not good".
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Radical as a noun (algebra, ring theory, of a [[module]]):
The intersection of maximal submodules of a given module.
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Radical as a noun (number theory):
The product of the distinct prime factors of a given positive integer.