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octant
(redirected from octants)

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia 0.03 sec.
octant [′äk·tənt]
(mathematics)
One of the eight regions into which three-dimensional Euclidean space is divided by the coordinate planes of a Cartesian coordinate system.
A unit of plane angle equal to 45° or π/8 radians.
(navigation)
A double-reflecting instrument used primarily for measuring altitudes of celestial bodies from a moving ship or airplane; has a range of 90°, and while a sextant has the capability up to 120°, the common practice applies the name sextant to both types of instruments.

Octant [′äk·tənt]
(astronomy)


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Instead of compasses, octants, and two-pole chains, modern digital GPS units determine position and direction.
For precise instrument alignment, at Bell Laboratories, equivalent settings of selected reflections were obtained in all octants for data sets collected by using Mo radiation in order to establish zero corrections on 2[theta], [omega], and [chi].
By color coding the octants of the cube (all three factors favorable = "green," one unfavorable = "yellow," two or more unfavorable = "red"), the relative performance of the MTFs became apparent at a glance.
 
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