A diagonal is a line segment that connects two non-adjacent vertices of a polygon or polyhedron. In simpler terms, it is a line drawn from one corner (vertex) of a shape to another corner that is not next to it. For example: - In a **rectangle**, there are two diagonals that connect opposite corners. - In a **square**, the diagonals also connect opposite corners and are equal in length.
The Crossed Ladders problem is a classic geometry problem that involves two ladders leaning against each other, forming a cross. The setup typically consists of two ladders of different lengths leaning against opposite walls of a corridor (or structure), crossing each other at a certain height. The problem often involves determining the height at which the ladders cross or the distance between the bases of the ladders.
In geometry, a **cross section** refers to the intersection of a solid object with a plane. When a three-dimensional object is cut by a plane, the shape formed by this intersection is known as the cross section. The specific shape of the cross section depends on the orientation and position of the cutting plane relative to the object.
"Confocal" generally refers to a type of microscopy or imaging technique that is used to increase the optical resolution and contrast of a micrograph by using a spatial pinhole to block out-of-focus light. The most common application of confocal technology is in confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), which allows for the collection of three-dimensional images of specimens by scanning them with a focused laser beam.
Concurrent lines are geometrical lines that intersect at a single point. In a plane, if three or more lines are concurrent, they all meet at one common point, which is referred to as the point of concurrency. A classic example of concurrent lines can be found in triangles, where the three medians (lines drawn from each vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side) are concurrent at a point called the centroid.
A circumscribed sphere, also known as a circumsphere, is a sphere that completely encloses a geometric figure, such as a polyhedron or a set of points, in three-dimensional space. The defining property of a circumscribed sphere is that all the vertices (corners) of the figure are located on the surface of the sphere.
In geometry, the term "centre" typically refers to a specific point that is equidistant from all points on the boundary of a shape or object. The definition of "centre" can vary depending on the geometric figure in question: 1. **Circle**: The centre of a circle is the point that is equidistant from all points on the circumference. This distance is known as the radius.
A central angle is an angle whose vertex is at the center of a circle, and whose sides (rays) extend to the circumference of the circle. The central angle is formed between two radii of the circle that connect the center of the circle to two points on its edge. Central angles are important in various mathematical and geometric contexts, particularly in relation to the properties of circles, such as arc length and sector area.
Bisection is a mathematical method used to find roots of a continuous function. It is a type of bracketing method, which means it narrows down the search for a root within a certain interval. The key idea behind the bisection method is to divide an interval in half and, based on the signs of the function at the endpoints, determine which half contains the root.
Birkhoff's axioms refer to a set of axioms introduced by mathematician George David Birkhoff in the context of defining the concept of a "relation" in mathematics, particularly pertaining to the fields of algebra and geometry. However, it is important to clarify that Birkhoff is perhaps best known for his work in lattice theory and the foundations of geometry.
A bicone is a geometric shape that resembles two cones joined at their bases. It resembles a double-cone structure and is commonly found in various contexts, including mathematics, geometry, and design. The shape can be characterized by its symmetrical properties and a specific relationship between its height and the radius of its circular base. In computer graphics and 3D modeling, biconic shapes are often used to represent certain types of objects or to create complex designs.
A bicentric polygon is a type of polygon that possesses both a circumcircle and an incircle. A circumcircle is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon, while an incircle is a circle that is tangent to each side of the polygon. For a polygon to be classified as bicentric, it must meet specific criteria: 1. **Circumcircle**: All the vertices of the polygon lie on a single circle.
The Bankoff circle is a concept in the field of mathematics, specifically in geometry. It is associated with the study of triangles and their properties. More precisely, the Bankoff circle is defined in relation to a triangle and its circumcircle. In a triangle, the Bankoff circle is the circle that passes through the triangle's vertices and is tangent to the sides of the triangle at certain points. This circle is named after the mathematician A. Bankoff, who studied its properties.
Apollonian circles are a fascinating concept in geometry associated with the problem of Apollonius, which involves finding circles that are tangent to three given circles in a plane. The study of these circles reveals insights into various geometric properties, including tangency, curvature, and configuration. In more detail: 1. **Apollonius' Problem**: The classical problem, attributed to Apollonius of Perga, asks for the construction of a circle that is tangent to three given circles.
In mathematics, the term **antiparallel** typically refers to vectors or lines that are oriented in opposite directions. Specifically, two vectors are said to be antiparallel if they have the same magnitude but point in opposite directions. For example, if vector \( \mathbf{a} \) points to the right (e.g.
In mathematics, an annulus (plural: annuli) is a ring-shaped object that is formed by the region between two concentric circles. It can be described in the following way: 1. **Definition**: An annulus is the set of points in a plane that are situated between two circles, typically denoted by an inner circle with radius \( r_1 \) and an outer circle with radius \( r_2 \), where \( r_2 > r_1 \).
Angular diameter (or angular size) is a measure of how large an object appears to an observer, expressed as an angle. It is typically measured in degrees, arcminutes, or arcseconds. Angular diameter is important in fields such as astronomy, where it helps to describe the apparent size of celestial objects (like stars, planets, and galaxies) from a specific point of view, typically from Earth or another observation point.
The Angle Bisector Theorem is a fundamental principle in geometry that relates the lengths of the sides of a triangle to the segments created by an angle bisector.
The AA postulate, or the Angle-Angle similarity postulate, is a fundamental principle in geometry that states that if two triangles have two angles that are equal, then the triangles are similar. This means that their corresponding sides are in proportion, and their corresponding angles are also equal.
In geometry, a point is a fundamental concept that represents a precise location in space. It has no length, width, depth, or any other dimensional attribute—essentially, it is a zero-dimensional object. Points are usually denoted by a capital letter (e.g., A, B, C) and can be represented on a coordinate system by ordered pairs or triplets (for two-dimensional or three-dimensional spaces, respectively). Points serve as the building blocks for more complex geometric shapes and constructions.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 5. . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact