The angular distance of the piece of the disk from the center is measured, but to use the enclosed mass formula, the piece of the disk's actual linear distance from the center must be found. (astronomynotes.com)
The evidence contributes to the emerging picture that the Silk Road — which the Ottoman Empire closed off in the 15th century — was a highly three - dimensional network that not only traversed vast linear distances but also scaled tall mountains. (scientificamerican.com)
As the scanner pokes its prey (here, a small, green plastic frog) with a needle - like probe driven by a tiny motor, a light sensor detects contact between probe and object with an accuracy of 30 micrometers, and a linear actuator translates the rotation of the Lego gears into linear distance at a resolution of 6.25 micrometers. (discovermagazine.com)