reference frame

noun

, Physics.

1. frame of reference ( def 2 ).

reference frame

/ rĕf′ər-əns /

1. A basis of a four-dimensional coordinate system in which the first coordinate is understood as a time coordinate, while the other three coordinates represent spatial dimensions. Inertial frames and non-inertial frames are both examples of reference frames.
2. Also called frame of reference
3. See also General Relativity

Word History and Origins

Origin of reference frame¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

However, the notion of continental groupings as a meaningful reference frame for understanding human biological variation persisted.

From Scientific American

For decades, radio astronomers have tracked minute changes in Earth’s surface rotation—the length of a day—against a cosmic reference frame: the fixed position of distant cosmic beacons called quasars.

From Science Magazine

This was achieved by Gaia tracing its movement against the stars, using the "fixed" points of light from very far-away galaxies as a reference frame.

From BBC

It was the basis of a brand-new celestial reference frame, a fixed, imaginary grid against which everything else moves, akin to lines of latitude and longitude on Earth.

From Science Magazine

It said: "They are much more than a convenient geographical reference frame. They are fundamental to our notion of what our country is and of our own place within it."

From BBC