Re: North Pole

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

> > ecliptic:  1.  The apparent path of the sun among the stars; The
> > intersection plane of the earth's solar orbit with the celestial sphere.
>
> No problem.
>
> > 2. A great circle on a terrestrial globe inclined at an
> approximate angle of 23
> > degrees 27 minutes to the equator.
>
> Not a good definition.
> It is an approximate temporary consequence of definition (1)
> but hardly a good long-term definition.

I doubt that the definition will last as long as the 23 degree 27 minutes
angle.

If you disagree with the dictionary, then argue with American Heritage.  I
was merely the messenger.  At one time Noah Webster prescribed American
pronunciation, meaning and spelling, but now most US dictionaries report
common usage and do not prescribe it.  As the second definition, it is
probably less common, but still in use.  BTW Merriam-Webster reports the
most common usage last, while most other dictionaries put it first.

Dictionary definitions, while useful, generally are not a good guide to how
the word is actually used by practitioners in a technical field.  To find
out how it is commonly used in a field you either need to be a practitioner
or survey the practitioners.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.