gradient
/ˈgreɪdɪənt/noun
1
- an inclined part of a road or railway; a slope公路（或铁路）斜面; 斜坡：
fail-safe brakes for use on steep gradients.
在陡峭路面上使用的, 有自动防故障设置的刹车。
1.1
- the degree of such a slope坡度：
the path becomes very rough as the gradient increases.
小路越来越陡, 也变得不平坦起来。
1.2
- Mathematics the degree of steepness of a graph at any point【数学】梯度, 斜率。
2
- Physics an increase or decrease in the magnitude of a property (e.g. temperature, pressure, or concentration) observed in passing from one point or moment to another【物理】梯度。
2.1
- the rate of such a change梯度率。
2.2
- Mathematics the vector formed by the operator ▽acting on a scalar function at a given point in a scalar field【数学】梯度算子。
词源
mid 19th cent.: from GRADE, on the pattern of salient.