Difference between tangent and pier
Definitions
noun
- ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
- a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point but does not intersect it at that point
Examples
This was estimated by taking the tangent of each point of the curve.
The discussion then went off on a tangent, to the question of how many spheres of equal size could rotate around a central ball of the same size.
So much the better if you have a cache of slightly obscure references that you can dispense, especially if these bear only tangential relationship to what you are discussing.
Definitions
noun
- a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
- a support for two adjacent bridge spans
- (architecture) a vertical supporting structure (as a portion of wall between two doors or windows)
Examples
By recording the spectra of several distant quasars whose light pierces the Milky Way, the spacecraft revealed some 50 ultraviolet-absorbing gas clouds around our galaxy.
Clearly the megalosaurus in the opening passage of Bleak House is a flight of hyperbolic fancy (inspired, I would guess, by the papier-mâché dinosaurs constructed for the Crystal Palace Exhibition, a couple of years earlier).
10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
