reference system
1
4.9
- noun
- /ˈrɛfərəns ˈsɪstəm/
- Specialized
:
sistema de referencia
- In mathematics, a Cartesian reference system allows us to describe points using coordinates.
Examples
-
Therefore, within the reference system structure, 60 percent (LHV) target ATS efficiency is obtainable.
Academic text (1995) -
Ornamental pectoral masks apparently represented specific monarchs or chiefs, but they share the formal vocabulary and reference system of the terracottas.
Academic text (1990) -
That's a much more convenient reference system for our description of crystal properties.
-
A change in configuration from the basic single-shaft gas turbine to that of the reference system is thus expected to provide about a 2.0 percentage point increase in system efficiency.
Academic text (1995) -
Within the reference system configuration, additional efficiency gains can be made by high-temperature developments in materials, coating systems, and cooling techniques.
Academic text (1995) -
If the reference system includes many species, a subset of plantings might suffice for accelerating the development of vegetation.
Academic text (2001) -
It is my impression that the two different life-worlds to which the concepts refer have comprised one form of reference system for, generally speaking, all the village inhabitants (and functionaries) on the estates.
Academic text (1995) -
Almost mystically, Bates locates individual pictures without the aid of any apparent reference system and, through assiduous effort, combines them to compose narratives not previously discovered, stories not yet told.
Academic text (2003) -
The navigation app uses a global reference system to pinpoint your exact location on a map.
-
Astronomers rely on a standardized reference system to locate celestial bodies in the night sky.
Synonyms
5
6.1
A system for measuring where things are and how they move from one viewpoint
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
A system that maps coordinates to real places on Earth
How Accurate
Surface Forms
Morphology
The sense 'a system that defines positions or locations' follows directly from combining 'reference' (a point or standard for comparison) with 'system' (a set of interacting components); this noun–noun compositional pattern is literal and straightforward. The concept is also expressed similarly in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would reasonably infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Reference system comes from the idea of using fixed points or a grid on a map to find places. The word reference is like a point you look at and system is the set of lines and rules, so together they mean 'a way to give exact positions'.