collinear

Meanings

1. 1adjectivenot comparablemathematics

   Lying on one straight line, used about three or more points.

   Grammar: Needs at least two points, usually three: the points A, B and C are collinear.

   Patterns

   • collinear with something

   The three points are collinear, so no triangle can be drawn.

   Point C is collinear with points An and B.

   The surveyor checked that the stakes were collinear.

2. 2adjectivenot comparablephysicsmathematics

   Lying along the same line or direction, as with vectors that point along one line.

   Grammar: Used in physics and linear algebra for vectors or forces.

   Patterns

   • collinear vectors

   Collinear forces can be added by simple arithmetic.

   The two vectors are collinear because one is a multiple of the other.

Common combinations

collinear points

Collinear points all lie on a single line.

three collinear points

Three collinear points cannot form a triangle.

collinear vectors

Collinear vectors are scalar multiples of each other.

prove collinear

We proved the three points were collinear.

Synonyms and how they differ

aligned

Aligned is an everyday word for being in a line, while collinear is the precise term in geometry.

in a line

In a line is plain English, whereas collinear states exactly that all lie on one line.

coaxial

Coaxial means sharing the same axis, so it applies to shapes and cables rather than points.

Opposites

Word family

collinearity noun

the state of lying on one line

colinear adjective

an alternative spelling

linear adjective

relating to a straight line

line noun

a straight one-dimensional figure

Commonly confused: collinear or coplanar? collinear or parallel?

Practice

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