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Collinear for Dummies

adjective

pronunciation: kə'lɪniər

What does Collinear really mean?

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Alright, my friend, let's dive into the fascinating world of geometry! So, you're wondering what on earth this word "collinear" means, right? Well, "collinear" is a cool mathematical term that helps us describe the relationship between points on a line. Imagine you have a straight line, which is like a pencil drawn by a magician that goes on and on forever. Now, when we say that points are collinear, it means they are all sitting happily side by side, one after the other, in a straight line. It's like a group of friends standing in a straight line, waiting patiently to go on a roller coaster together. They stick together, without any gaps or detours, just like the perfect synchronized swimmers in a pool!

Now, let's try to unwrap this word a bit further. Picture this: you have a long stretch of road, like a never-ending highway. Along this road, we have placed several points, which are kinda like markers or signs. Now, I want you to imagine that these points are all on the same line, one after the other, without any outliers sneaking off onto a different road. If these points are all nicely lined up like ducks in a row, without any stragglers flying off, then voila! They are collinear! It's a fantastic way for mathematicians to describe how these points behave and relate to each other.

Oh, and just to give you an extra scoop of understanding, I should mention that "collinear" can also describe more than just points on a line. It can also be used to describe vectors, which are kinda like little arrows showing directions. So, if a set of vectors are all nicely aligned and pointing in the same direction, they are also collinear!

To sum it up, my friend, "collinear" simply means that points or vectors are all snuggled up together in a straight line, behaving like the best-behaved friends or synchronized swimmers. It's a term we use to describe how things line up and behave in a lovely, organized way. So, next time you see a line of ants marching in a beautifully straight line, just remember, they are being collinear little creatures!

Revised and Fact checked by Patricia Williams on 2023-10-28 05:02:52

Collinear In a sentece

Learn how to use Collinear inside a sentece

  • When three points lie in a straight line, they are called collinear points. For example, if you imagine three ants walking in a row from one end to another end on a ruler, those three ants would be collinear.
  • If you place three dots on a piece of paper in such a way that you can draw a straight line through all of them without lifting the pencil, those dots are collinear.
  • Imagine you have a long rope and you tie one end of the rope to a nail on the wall. If you stretch the rope in a straight line and hold the other end, any point on the rope will be collinear with the nail and your hand.
  • When you are playing with toy cars and you arrange them in a line on the floor, with the front of one car touching the back of the previous car, those cars are collinear.
  • If you have a row of three books placed side by side on a shelf, and you can slide your finger along the books continuously without lifting it, the books are collinear.

Collinear Similar Words

Words that similar to the original word, but are not synonyms.