offset (redirected from offsets)

offset: see printing.

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offset

(1) See offset press.

(2) The distance from a starting point, either the start of a file or the start of a memory address. Its value is added to a base value to derive the actual value. An offset into a file is simply the character location within that file, usually starting with 0; thus "offset 240" is actually the 241st byte in the file. See relative address.

(3) In word processing, the amount of space a document is printed from the left margin.

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offset

1. Botany

a. a short runner in certain plants, such as the houseleek, that produces roots and shoots at the tip

b. a plant produced from such a runner

2. a ridge projecting from a range of hills or mountains

3. the horizontal component of displacement on a fault

4. a narrow horizontal or sloping surface formed where a wall is reduced in thickness towards the top

5. a person or group descended collaterally from a particular group or family; offshoot

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offset [′ȯf‚set]

(building construction)

A horizontal ledge on the face of a wall or other member that is formed by diminishing the thickness of the wall at that point. Also known as setback.

(computer science)

displacement

(control systems)

The steady-state difference between the desired control point and that actually obtained in a process control system.

(engineering)

A short perpendicular distance measured to a traverse course or a surveyed line or principal line of measurement in order to locate a point with respect to a point on the course or line.

In seismic prospecting, the horizontal distance between a shothole and the line of profile, measured perpendicular to the line.

In seismic refraction prospecting, the horizontal displacement, measured from the detector, of a point for which a calculated depth is relevant.

In seismic reflection prospecting, the correction of a reflecting element from its position on a preliminary working profile to its actual position in space.

(geology)

The movement of an upcurrent part of a shore to a more seaward position than a downcurrent part.

A spur from a mountain range.

A level terrace on the side of a hill.

The horizontal displacement component in a fault, measured parallel to the strike of the fault. Also known as normal horizontal separation.

(mapping)

During construction of a map projection, the small distance added to the length of meridians on either side of the central meridian in order to determine the chart's top latitude.

(mechanics)

The value of strain between the initial linear portion of the stress-strain curve and a parallel line that intersects the stress-strain curve of an arbitrary value of strain; used as an index of yield stress; a value of 0.2% is common.

(mining engineering)

A short drift or crosscut driven from a main gangway or level.

The horizontal distance between the outcrops of a dislocated bed.

(naval architecture)

One of a series of measurements of the perpendicular distance of various points on a ship's hull from the centerline and above the molded baseline; used in ship construction.

(ordnance)

The horizontal distance of forward travel covered by the missile after it strikes the ground; this distance is measured from the center of the hole of entry to the most forward part of the missile.

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(programming)

offset - An index or position in an array, string, or block of memory usually a non-negative integer. E.g. the Perl function splice(ARRAY, OFFSET, LENGTH, LIST) replaces LENGTH elements starting at index OFFSET in array with LIST, where offset zero means the start of the array. For an Intel x86 processor with a segmented address space the offset is the position of a byte relative to the start of the segment.