Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The coordinate representing the position of a point along a line perpendicular to the y-axis in a plane Cartesian coordinate system.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In mathematics: In the conic sections, that part of a transverse axis which lies between its vertex and a perpendicular ordinate to it from a given point of the conic. Thus (fig. 1), in the parabola PAC, AM, the part of the axis AB cut off by the ordinate PM, is the abscissa of the point P. In the system of Cartesian coördinates, a certain line used in determining the position of a point in a plane. Thus (fig. 2), let two fixed intersecting lines (axes) OY and OX be taken, and certain directions on them (as from O toward X and from O toward Y) be assumed as positive. From any point, as P, let a line be drawn parallel to OY and cutting OX in M. Then will the two quantities OM and MP, with the proper algebraic sign, determine the position of the point P. OM, or its value, is called the abscissa of the point, and the fixed line X'X is called the axis of abscissas. See
coördinate , n., 2.
Wiktionary
- n. The first of the two terms by which a point is referred to, in a system of fixed rectilinear coordinate (Cartesian coordinate) axes. The abscissa is also known as the "x" coordinate of a point, shown on the horizontal line, with the ordinate, also known as the "y" coordinate, shown on the vertical line.
- n. The first of the two terms by which a point is referred to, in a system of fixed rectilinear coordinate (Cartesian coordinate) axes. The abscissa is also known as the "x" coordinate of a point, shown on the horizontal line, with the ordinate, also known as the "y" coordinate, shown on the vertical line.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. One of the elements of reference by which a point, as of a curve, is referred to a system of fixed rectilineal coördinate axes.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the value of a coordinate on the horizontal axis
Etymologies
- New Latin (līnea) abscissa, (line) cut off, from Latin abscissa, feminine of abscissus, past participle of abscindere, to abscise; see abscise.
Examples
“The curve also applies if the abscissa is changed to ‘Amount in Savings’.”
“The independent - variable coordinate (usually x) of a point on the Cartesian plane is called the abscissa, and the dependent-variable coordinate (usually y) is called the ordi - nate.”
“One such event is shown on the picture on the right: they infer that an air shower passed through the detector by observing The number of muons seen underground is an excellent estimator of the energy of the primary cosmic ray, as the Kascade collaboration result shown on the left shows (on the abscissa is the logarithm of the energy of the primary cosmic ray, and on the y axis the number of muons per square meter measured by the detector).”
“When you say “abscissa” your mouth opens sideways.”
“The problem with matter is that it has dimensions and that the particles are not exactly on the same distance along the curvilinear abscissa within the gravitational field. we will try to mimic a situation where there is no influence on this horizontal plane.”
World-wide Campaign Sheds New Light on Nature's "LHC" | Universe Today
“Recently a Lovely new idea has arisen, that global cooling always occurs where Al Gore speaks, since Al usually speaks all over this planet and not too often from L3, this at least the abscissa seems reasonable.”
“The line in the figure represents a distribution, with the abscissa representing “policy” or some aspect of a policy on a numerical scale.”
“When reading the mathematical psychology textbook, I was puzzled by the fact that all the choice problems were described in terms of gains and losses (actually, almost always gains), whereas the utility functions that were supposed to explain the choices were drawn with wealth as the abscissa.”
“The raw rock mountains shadowed in the late sun and to the east the shimmering abscissa of the desert plains under a sky where raincurtains hung dark as soot all along the quadrant.”
No Country For Old Men
“Porrò ipsum Paradisi locum audiui à tribus plagis, orientali, meridionali, et septentrionali, inaccessibilem tam hominibus quàm bestijs, eo quòd apparet ripis perpendiculariter abscissa, tanquam inestimabilis altitudinis.”
Lists
‘abscissa’ hasn't been added to any lists yet.
brtom Four years on, my personal declaration of, and against, lexical ignorance runs from "abscissa" (Cormac McCarthy) to "zugunruhe" (William Fiennes, who admittedly provided a helpful contextual explanation of this, the migratory restlessness of birds). James Meek Jan 3, 2008
kewpid The x-coordinate. Sep 25, 2007