mean distance

mean distance
noun
the arithmetic mean of the maximum and minimum distances of a celestial body (satellite or secondary star) from its primary
Hypernyms: ↑distance

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noun
: the arithmetical mean of the maximum and minimum distances of a planet, satellite, or secondary star from its primary

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Astron.
the arithmetic mean of the greatest and least distances of a planet from the sun, used in stating the size of an orbit; the semimajor axis.
[1885-90]

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mean distance,
1. the average of the distances of the aphelion and perihelion of a planet from the sun, one of the data necessary to determine the orbit of a planet: »

The earth's mean distance from the sun is about 92,900,000 miles (Robert H. Baker).

2. the average of the greatest and least distances of any heavenly body, such as a star or a satellite, from the focus of its orbit.

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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  • Mean distance — Mean Mean, a. [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See {Mid}.] 1. Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes. [1913 Webster] Being of middle age and a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • mean distance — n. the average of the greatest and least distances in the orbit of a celestial body from its focus …   English World dictionary

  • mean distance — vidutinis nuotolis statusas T sritis fizika atitikmenys: angl. mean distance vok. mittlerer Abstand, m rus. среднее расстояние, n pranc. distance moyenne, f …   Fizikos terminų žodynas

  • mean distance — noun Date: 1830 the arithmetical mean of the maximum and minimum distances of an orbiting celestial object from its primary …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • mean distance — Astron. the arithmetic mean of the greatest and least distances of a planet from the sun, used in stating the size of an orbit; the semimajor axis. [1885 90] * * * …   Universalium

  • mean distance — /min ˈdɪstns/ (say meen distns) noun the arithmetic mean of the greatest and least distances of a planet from the sun, called the semi major axis, and used in stating the size of an orbit …  

  • mean distance between failure — noun A measure of reliability that expresses the average distance travelled by a type of lorry, bus, rolling stock, etc, before preventative or reparative maintenance is required …   Wiktionary

  • mean distance to the sun — 240 million miles; used to specify the headroom in convertibles …   Dictionary of automotive terms

  • Mean inter-particle distance — (or mean inter particle separation) is the mean distance between microscopic particles (usually atoms or molecules) in a macroscopic body. Contents 1 Ambiguity 2 Ideal gas 2.1 Nearest neighbor distribution …   Wikipedia

  • Mean — Mean, a. [OE. mene, OF. meiien, F. moyen, fr. L. medianus that is in the middle, fr. medius; akin to E. mid. See {Mid}.] 1. Occupying a middle position; middle; being about midway between extremes. [1913 Webster] Being of middle age and a mean… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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