frame of reference
5
6.1
- noun
- /freɪm əv ˈrɛfərəns/
- Specialized
:
marco de referencia
- An observer in a non-rotating frame of reference, however, would complain that the two clocks still tell different times.
- an external frame of reference
- a single frame of reference
It just says that all observers, all frames of reference share the same time.
- It just says that all observers, all frames of reference share the same time.
Examples
-
In other words, it's the same in all frames of reference.
Blog text (34) -
With the regional sample as the frame of reference, the following results occurred (Table 2):
Academic text (2011) -
Something can only be "before" something else once our local frame of reference has been established.
Blog text (14) -
This is an example of two different frames of reference.
-
The train and the ground each define a frame of reference.
Academic text (1996) -
Time itself is actually different for observers in different frames of reference when one frame is in motion relative to another.
-
15. The erosion of these languages represents significant change in the collective frame of reference held by members of Indigenous communities.
Academic text (2010) -
On the field, in a fixed frame of reference, the bat is swung at an incoming ball.
Academic text (2010) -
See, time passes more slowly in a given frame of reference where the force of gravity is greater than in another frame with weaker gravity.
-
In physics, the movement of the stars can be measured from our own frame of reference on Earth.
Synonyms
4
3.9
A way of using numbers to find the position of points on a graph or map
3
7.2
A system that describes where and how an object is located or facing
1
4.9
A system that uses coordinates to show positions, like GPS or a map grid
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase combines 'frame' (a structure or framework) with 'reference' (a point or standard), so the sense 'a framework for judging or understanding' is largely compositional and mirrored in many other languages. However, the meaning relies on an abstract/metaphorical sense of 'frame' rather than a concrete object and appears in a more academic register, so a B1 learner who only knows literal senses may not fully infer it without some exposure.
Etymology
Frame of reference comes from imagining a picture frame or window you look through to see and measure where things are. The frame gives the edges and the reference is the point you compare to, so where something is and how it moves are always described relative to that view.