Perpendicular: meaning, definitions and examples

Used when referring to a line or plane that is at an exact 90-degree angle to another line or plane in geometry, construction, or everyday descriptions.

• The building’s walls are perpendicular to the ground.
• Draw a line perpendicular to the base of the triangle.

Refers to anything that is upright or at right angles to a horizontal plane. Often used in everyday language and various fields like architecture, engineering, and design.

• The flagpole is perfectly vertical.
• Align the bookshelf so that it is vertical against the wall.

Primarily used in mathematics, computer science, and statistics to describe vectors that are at right angles to each other, or situations where no overlap or dependency occurs.

• In linear algebra, two vectors are orthogonal if their dot product is zero.
• The statistical data points are orthogonal, indicating no correlation.

Commonly used in geometry to describe shapes, especially triangles, that feature a 90-degree angle.

• A right-angled triangle has one angle of exactly 90 degrees.
• The carpenter used a right-angled square to check the edges.

Use in general geometric or everyday contexts to describe lines, planes, or surfaces meeting at a right angle.

• The two streets meet at a perpendicular intersection
• The shelf needs to be set at a perpendicular angle to the wall

Specific to contexts involving direction or orientation, describing something positioned upright from bottom to top.

• The doors slide open vertically
• The rocket was launched vertically

Primarily used in mathematical, especially linear algebra, or technical contexts when discussing vectors, functions, or axes meeting at right angles.

• The basis vectors in this coordinate system are orthogonally aligned
• The signal is filtered orthogonally to remove noise