Showing posts with label below. Show all posts
Showing posts with label below. Show all posts

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Nadir


the lowest point -- the pole which is vertically below the observer in the CELESTIAL SPHERE. It is opposite to the ZENITH.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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The nadir (from Arabic نظير nathir, "opposite") is the direction pointing directly below a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at the location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface there. Since the concept of being below is itself somewhat vague, scientists define the nadir in more rigorous terms. Specifically, in astronomy, geophysics and related sciences (e.g., meteorology), the nadir at a given point is the local vertical direction pointing in the direction of the force of gravity at that location. The direction opposite of the nadir is the zenith.


Nadir also refers to the downward-facing viewing geometry of an orbiting satellite, such as is employed during remote sensing of the atmosphere, as well as when an astronaut faces the Earth while performing an EVA.


The word is also used figuratively to mean the lowest point of a person's spirits.


The term nadir can also be used to represent the lowest point reached by a celestial body during its apparent orbit around a given point of observation. This can be used to describe the location of the Sun, but it is only technically accurate for one latitude at a time and only possible at the low latitudes. The sun is said to be at the nadir at a location when it is at the zenith at the location's antipode.


Taken from Wikipedia


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Mach number


the speed of a body expressed as a ratio with the SPEED OF SOUND. Mach I is sonic speed, and thus below I is subsonic and above I is supersonic.

Taken from Dictionary of Science

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Mach number (Ma or M) (generally pronounced /ˈmɑːk/, sometimes /ˈmɑːx/ or /ˈmæk/) is the speed of an object moving through air, or any fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance. It is commonly used to represent an object's (such as an aircraft or missile) speed, when it is travelling at (or at multiples of) the speed of sound.


\ M = \frac {{v_s}}{{u}}

where


\ M is the Mach number

\ v_s is the speed of the source (the object relative to the medium) and

\ u is the speed of sound in the medium