Columbia Encyclopedia
Search results
500 results found
dimension, in mathematics
(Encyclopedia)dimension, in mathematics, number of parameters or coordinates required locally to describe points in a mathematical object (usually geometric in character). For example, the space we inhabit is three...Cartesian coordinates
(Encyclopedia)CE5 Cartesian coordinates Cartesian coordinates kärtēˈzhən [key] [for René Descartes], system for representing the relative positions of points in a plane or in space. In a plane, the point P...court system in the United States
(Encyclopedia)court system in the United States, judicial branches of the federal and state governments charged with the application and interpretation of the law. The U.S. court system is divided into two administ...vertical circle
(Encyclopedia)vertical circle, in astronomy, the great circle on the celestial sphere that passes from the observer's zenith through a given celestial body. In the altazimuth coordinate system the altitude of a bod...celestial meridian
(Encyclopedia)celestial meridian, vertical circle passing through the north celestial pole and an observer's zenith. It is an axis in the altazimuth coordinate system. ...celestial horizon
(Encyclopedia)celestial horizon, one axis of the altazimuth coordinate system. It is the great circle on the celestial sphere midway between the observer's zenith and nadir; it divides the celestial sphere into two...U.S. Customary System of weights and measures
(Encyclopedia)U.S. Customary System of weights and measures: see English units of measurement. ...British Imperial System of weights and measures
(Encyclopedia)British Imperial System of weights and measures: see English units of measurement. ...longitude
(Encyclopedia)longitude lŏnˈjĭto͞odˌ [key], angular distance on the earth's surface measured along any latitude line such as the equator east or west of the prime meridian. A meridian of longitude is an imagin...SI, abbreviation for the International System of Units
(Encyclopedia)SI: see International System of Units. ...Browse by Subject
- Earth and the Environment +-
- History +-
- Literature and the Arts +-
- Medicine +-
- People +-
- Philosophy and Religion +-
- Places +-
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia and Oceania
- Britain, Ireland, France, and the Low Countries
- Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic Nations
- Germany, Scandinavia, and Central Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- Oceans, Continents, and Polar Regions
- Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the Balkans
- United States, Canada, and Greenland
- Plants and Animals +-
- Science and Technology +-
- Social Sciences and the Law +-
- Sports and Everyday Life +-
