tangent line
Americannoun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If we zoom in on a curve at that point, the curve appears linear, and the slope of the curve at that point is close to the slope of the tangent line at that point.
From Textbooks • Dec. 1, 2021
These tangent line slopes may be evaluated using calculus, but the procedure for doing so is beyond the scope of this chapter.
From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019
When working with a function of two variables, the tangent line is replaced by a tangent plane, but the approximation idea is much the same.
From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016
For example, if we know a parameterization of a given curve, is it possible to calculate the slope of a tangent line to the curve?
From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016
When you try to calculate the slope of a tangent line, zero wrecks your approximation process.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.