polygonal chain
- noun
- Specialized
:
cadena poligonal
- The algorithm constructs a polygonal chain to approximate the curve.
Examples
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To visualize the boundary, imagine drawing a polygonal chain that connects all the corner points.
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A polygonal chain consists of several line segments.
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You can represent the shape as a polygonal chain composed of several segments.
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The polygonal chain connects points A and B.
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To visualize the boundary, imagine drawing a polygonal chain that connects all the corner points.
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You can represent the shape as a polygonal chain composed of several segments.
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The polygonal chain connects points A and B.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'polygonal' specifies the shape/element type (made of straight-sided segments) and 'chain' denotes a linked sequence, so a learner who knows both words can infer a connected sequence of straight segments. The technical detail about shared endpoints is a geometric elaboration but does not prevent a B1 learner from deriving the basic meaning; the compound follows regular, cross-linguistic compounding patterns.
Etymology
Polygonal chain gives a clear picture: polygonal means made of straight sides and chain suggests pieces joined end to end. Imagine short straight sticks joined at their ends to make a path, and that's why polygonal chain means 'a connected row of straight line segments'.
