Cross section (original) (raw)

I. (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(physics) the probability that a particular interaction (as capture or ionization) will take place between particles; measured in barns

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("cross section" is a kind of...):

chance; probability (a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible)

Domain category:

atomic physics; nuclear physics; nucleonics (the branch of physics that studies the internal structure of atomic nuclei)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A sample meant to be representative of a whole population

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("cross section" is a kind of...):

sample (a small part of something intended as representative of the whole)

Domain category:

statistics (a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters)

Derivation:

cross-sectional (of or relating to a cross section)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A section created by a plane cutting a solid perpendicular to its longest axis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Hypernyms ("cross section" is a kind of...):

plane section; section ((geometry) the area created by a plane cutting through a solid)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cross section"):

profile (a vertical section of the Earth's crust showing the different horizons or layers)

Derivation:

cross-sectional (representing a plane made by cutting across something at right angles to its length)

Credits