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geodesic
(redirected from Geodesics)

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.02 sec.
ge·o·des·ic  (j-dsk, -dsk)
adj.
1. Of or relating to the geometry of geodesics.
2. Of or relating to geodesy.
n.
The shortest line between two points on any mathematically defined surface.

[From geodesy.]

geodesic [ˌdʒiːəʊˈdɛsɪk -ˈdiː-]
adj
(Mathematics) Also geodetic geodesical relating to or involving the geometry of curved surfaces
n
(Mathematics) Also called geodesic line the shortest line between two points on a curved or plane surface

geodesic  (j-dsk, -dsk)
Noun
A curve that locally minimizes the distance between two points on any mathematically defined space, such as a curved manifold. Equivalently, it is a path of minimal curvature. In noncurved three-dimensional space, the geodesic is a straight line. In General Relativity, the trajectory of a body with negligible mass on which only gravitational forces are acting (i.e. a free falling body) is a geodesic in (curved) 4-dimensional space-time.
Adjective
Of or relating to the branch of geometry that deals with geodesics.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.geodesic - (mathematics) the shortest line between two points on a mathematically defined surface (as a straight line on a plane or an arc of a great circle on a sphere)
math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement
line - a length (straight or curved) without breadth or thickness; the trace of a moving point
Adj.1.geodesic - of or relating to or determined by geodesy
Translations
geodesic [ˌdʒɪ(ː)əʊˈdesɪk] ADJgeodésico
geodesic
adjgeodätisch


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25 square Loftcube and the horrible $35K dome home from Timberline geodesics are the main architectural features of Retrothing at www.
In geometry this curvature is reflected, for example, in the angle difference of a vector transported around a loop along geodesics, i.
Sethian and Ron Kimmel, now at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel, described in the July 21, 1998 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES how to use this method to compute the shortest paths, called geodesics, from point to point across hilly terrain and other computer-generated landscapes.
 
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