Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Definition: Cross Section |
Cross SectionNoun1. A section created by a plane cutting a solid perpendicular to its longest axis. 2. (atomic or nuclear physics) the probability that a particular interaction (as capture or ionization) will take place between particles; measured in barns. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | 1. A measure of the effectiveness of a particular process expressed either as an area (geometric cross section) which would produce the observed result, or as a ratio. See absorption cross section, scattering cross section.2. = nuclear cross section. (references) |
Biology & Biotechnology | Cross section of a stem. Source: European Union. (references) |
Geography | Diagram or drawing that shows features transected by a given plane; specifically a vertical section down at right angles to the longer axis of a geologic feature, such as the trend of an orebody, the mean direction of flow of a stream or the axis of a fossil. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | A. A diagram or drawing that shows features transected by a given plane; specif. a vertical section drawn at right angles to the longer axis of a geologic feature, such as the trend of an orebody b. An actual exposure or cut that shows transected geologic features.--Adj: cross-sectional. Also spelled: cross-section c. A profile portraying an interpretation of a vertical section of the Earth explored by geophysical and/or geological methods. d. A horizontal grid system laid out on the ground for determining contours, quantities of earthwork, etc., by means of elevations of thegrid points. (references) |
Nuclear Energy & Physics | The measure of the probability of a specified interaction between an incident radiation and a target particle or system of particles. It is the reaction rate per target particle for a specified process divided by the flux density of the incident radiation or microscopic cross-section. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
With CAT one gets cross-sectional images without actual cutting.
In, physics a cross section represents the probability of an interaction event between two particles. Nuclear cross section
In nuclear physics, it is found convenient to express probability of a particular event by a cross section. Statistically, the centers of the atoms in a thin foil can be considered as points evenly distributed over a plane. The center of an atomic projectile striking this plane has geometrically a definite probability of passing within a certain distance (r) of one of these points. In fact, if there are n atomic centers in an area A of the plane, this probability is (nπr2)/A, which is simply the ratio of the aggregate area of circles of radius r drawn around the points to the whole area. If we think of the atoms as impenetrable steel discs and the impinging particle as a bullet of negligible diameter, this ratio is the probability that the bullet will strike a steel disc, i.e., that the atomic projectile will be stopped by the foil. If it is the fraction of impinging atoms getting through the foil which is measured, the result can still be expressed in terms of the equivalent stopping cross section of the atoms. This notion can be extended to any interaction between the impinging particle and the atoms in the target. For example, the probability that an alpha particle striking a beryllium target will produce a neutron can be expressed is the equivalent cross section of beryllium for this type of reaction.
In nuclear physics it is conventional to consider that the impinging particles have negligible diameter. Cross sections can be computed for any sort of process, such as capture scattering, production of neutrons, etc. In many cases, the number of particles emitted or scattered in nuclear processes is not measured directly; one merely measures the attenuation produced in a parallel beam of incident particles by the interposition of a known thickness of a particular material. The cross section obtained in this way is called the total cross section and is usually denoted by a σ or σT.
The typical nuclear diameter is of the order of 10-12 cm. We might therefore expect the cross sections for nuclear reactions to be of the order of πr,2 or roughly 10-24 cm2 and this unit is given its own name, the barn, and is the unit in which cross sections are usually expressed. Actually the observed cross sections vary enormously. Thus for slow neutrons absorbed by the (n, gamma) reaction the cross section in some cases is as much as 1,000 barns, while the cross sections for transmutations by gamma-ray absorption are in the neighborhood of 0.001 barns.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Cross section."
Crosswords: Cross Section |
| English words defined with "cross section": B, barn, box beam, box girder ♦ caimito, catenary, cavetto, Chiastolite, Chrysophyllum cainito, cross-sectional, cuneus ♦ Gorge circle ♦ horizon ♦ I-beam ♦ Macle ♦ Nissen hut ♦ obelisk, ovolo ♦ quarter round, Quonset hut ♦ ridge tile, round file ♦ Sago spleen, star apple ♦ T iron, thin, Three-square, thumb, two-by-four ♦ wedge, wedge shape. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "cross section": absorption cross section ♦ back-scattering cross section ♦ collision cross section, cross section analysis ♦ extinction cross section ♦ radar cross section ♦ scattering cross section. (references) |
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| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
Cross section of a human lung. The white area in the upper lobe is cancer, the black areas indicate the patient was a smoker. See artwork: SS-10. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. | (a) cross-section of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast with blood vessels at the periphery of tumor. Magnification x100. (b) cross-section of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast with vessels at the periphery of tumor. Magnification x200. (c) cross section of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast with a small foci of breast cancer cells in which cd34 antibody has stained blood vessels and basement membrane. Magnification x100. (d) cross-section of infiltrating ductal carcinoma of breast shows intense blood vessel proliferation in stromal tissue adjacent to the malignant tissue. Magnification x200. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. | ||
![]() | Histopathology of gastrocnemius muscle from patient who died of pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, Duchenne type. Cross section of muscle shows extensive replacement of muscle fibers by adipose cells. Credit: CDC. | Capillary wall appears in cross section. Part of the host cell nucleus is visible deep to the rickettsias.. Transmission electron micrograph. Credit: CDC. | |
![]() | "2D Cross Section of a 5-Brane" (movie) by Bob Rutkiewicz. From Physics String Theory/M-Theory, a 5-brane equation that has the same number of holes as the full 10-brane. Use DPGraph's Scrollbar to vary A or B. | ![]() | Cross section of a tunnel with a corn earworm pupa. The Diapetimorpha introita wasp is preparing to lay an egg in the pupal tunnel. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |
![]() | Caption: Edison Photographing Microscopic Cross Section of Bamboo Fibers; West Orange, NJ; 1893; {14.610/7} (jpg). | ![]() | U.S. Army. Walter Reed General Hospital, Washington, D.C. : Plans- Cross section showing method of ventilation of wards. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
![]() | [Skull and cross section of face] / [Herbert L. Treusch]. Credit: National Library of Medicine. | ![]() | United States Capitol ("Federal Capitol"), Washington, D.C. Cross section. Credit: Library of Congress. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
Expressions using "cross section": cross section analysis ♦ nuclear cross section ♦ radar cross section area. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "cross section"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | مقطع عرضي. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | напречно сечение (section), профил (contour, cutout, profile, section, shape, side, side face, side view, silhouette). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | prùřez (midship), příèný řez. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | virkningstværsnit (cross-section), tværsnit (cross sectional view, crosscut, cross-section, cut away, cutting diameter, cutting diametre, sectional view, transversal section, transverse section), snit (chipless cutting, cut, cutting without stock removal, pruning, prunning, section, shearing), gadetværprofil. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | werkzame doorsnede (cross-section), dwarsprofiel, dwarslaesie (transection, transverse myelitis), dwarsdoorsnede (crosscut, cross-section, cutting diameter, cutting diametre, end-grain section, transection, transversal section, transverse section), doorsnedevlak, doorsnede (profile). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | vaikutusala (cross-section, incidence), poikkileikkaus (cross-section, transverse section). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | coupe en travers (cross-cut), coupe perpendiculaire aux allures, coupe transversale (crosscut, cross-section), coupe-temps (cross-section), coup transversale, rondelle (cross-section), disque (cross-section), profil en travers (cross-section), section transversale (cross-section), section (cross-sectional area), section de coupe, section de tronc (cross-section), section efficace (cross-section, microscopic cross section), section efficace microscopique (microscopic cross section), section terminée, galette (cross-section). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | querschnitt (profile, transverse section). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | τομή (caesura, cut, cutting, incision, scission, section). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | keresztmetszet (cross-sectional view, intersection, section, transverse section). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | sezione traversale, sezione trasversale (cookie, cross-section, disc, disk, end-grain section, stem disc, T.S., transection, transversal section, transverse profile, transverse section), sezione efficace (cross-section), sezione d'urto (cross-section), sezione definitiva, sezione (appanage, branch, carrel, department, division, part, section), rotella (Castor, pastry wheel, roller, rowel), profilo trasversale (cross-section, transverse profile), gruppo rappresentativo. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 断面 , 横断面 . (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | おう "め", "め". (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | osscray ectionsay corte perpendicular s camadas, corte geológico (cross-section, geologic section, geological section, transverse section), corte (address, build, chop, cohort, court, courtship, cutting edge, gash, hack, hackery, incision, intersection, kerf, make, nick, pen, scission, score, section, slash, swinery, tailoring), secção transversal (cross-section, end-grain section, T.S., transection, transverse section), secção eficaz (cross-section), secção (branch, compartment, pigeonhole, section, speciality), seçao transversal (cookie, cross-section, disc, disk, stem disc, transverse section), seçao de um tronco (cookie, cross-section, disc, disk, stem disc, transverse section), seção cruzada, perfil transversal. (various references) secţiune transversalã, parte reprezentativã. (various references) профиль (contour, cutout, elevation, profile, shape, side view, side-view), поперечный разрез, поперечное сечение. (various references) profil (profile), poprečni presek. (various references) sección transversal (cookie, cross-section, disc, disk, stem disc, transversal section, transverse section). (various references) tvärsnitt (cross-section). (various references) tipik örnek (case history, representative, text example), enine kesit (crosscut, transversal section). (various references) поперечний перетин. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Misspellings | |
"Cross Section" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: crosssection. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-c-e-i-n-o-o-r-s-s-s-t" | |
-2 letters: cortisones. | |
-3 letters: coercions, concertos, concisest, cortisone, crocoites, crossties, incrosses, sootiness. | |
-4 letters: cessions, cisterns, cistrons, coercion, cointers, conceits, concerti, concerto, concerts, conciser, conioses, consists, consorts, coonties, cornices, corniest, coronets, cortices, cosiness, croceins, crocoite, crossest, crosstie, erosions, isotones, necrosis, necrotic, noticers, oestrins, osteosis, rosiness, scooters, sections, siroccos, snootier, sonsiest, stenosis, torsions. | |
-5 letters: censors, centric, cerotic, cession. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-c-e-i-n-o-o-r-s-s-s-t" | |
+4 letters: microdissections. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Crosswords 3. Usage: Commercial 4. Images: Slideshow | 5. Images: Photo Album 6. Expressions 7. Expressions: Internet 8. Translations: Modern | 9. Derivations 10. Anagrams 11. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.