Difference between tangent and pier

Definitions

noun

1. ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
2. a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a point but does not intersect it at that point

Examples

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.

There are three distinct types of spiric surfaces depending whether the axis of revolution cuts the circle, it a tangent to the circle, or is outside the circle.

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Definitions

noun

1. a platform built out from the shore into the water and supported by piles; provides access to ships and boats
2. a support for two adjacent bridge spans
3. (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.

The lymphatic vessels of the tongue may be divided into four groups: (1) apical, from the tip of the tongue to the suprahyoid glands and principal gland of the tongue; (2) lateral, from the margin of the tongue—some of these pierce the Mylohyoideus to end in the submaxillary glands, others pass down on the Hyoglossus to the superior deep cervical glands; (3) basal, from the region of the vallate papillæ to the superior deep cervical glands; and (4) median, a few of which perforate the Mylohyoideus to reach the submaxillary glands, while the majority turn around the posterior border of the muscle to enter the superior deep cervical glands.

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).

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