hodograph

[ hod-uh-graf, -grahf ]

/ ˈhɒd əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf /

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noun Mathematics, Mechanics.

the figure described by the extremity of a vector that has a fixed origin and a position vector equal to the velocity of a moving particle.

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Origin of hodograph

1840–50; <Greek hod(ós) way + -o- + -graph

Words nearby hodograph

Hodges, Hodgkin, Hodgkin's disease, hodman, Hódmezővásárhely, hodograph, hodometer, hodophobia, hodoscope, hoe, hoecake

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hodograph in a sentence

For applications of the hodograph to the solution of kinematical problems see Mechanics.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 5|Various
Thus for a circular orbit with the centre of force at an excentric point, the hodograph is a conic with the pole as focus.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 8|Various
The annexed fig. 70 exhibits the various cases, with the hodograph in its proper orientation.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 8|Various
In the motion of a projectile under gravity the hodograph is a vertical line described with constant velocity.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 8|Various

The pole O of the hodograph is inside on or outside the circle, according as the orbit is an ellipse, parabola or hyperbola.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 8|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hodograph

hodograph

/ (ˈhɒdəˌɡrɑːf, -ɡræf) /

noun

a curve of which the radius vector represents the velocity of a moving particle

Derived forms of hodograph

hodographic, adjective

Word Origin for hodograph

C19: from Greek hodos way + -graph

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012