ABSCISSA

Abscissa

In a somewhat obsolete usage, the abscissa of a point may also refer to any number that describes the point's location along some path, e.g. the parameter of a parametric equation. Used in this way, the abscissa can be thought of as a coordinate-geometry analog to the independent variable in a mathematical model or experiment .

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abscissa

Noun

  1. 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. <ref name=SOED/>
    The point <math>(3,2)</math> has 3 as its abscissa and 2 as its ordinate.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: abscissa
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