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bearing

Did you mean: bearing (part of machine), bear (to hold up; support), Bearings, Inc., bearings

 
Dictionary: bear·ing   (bâr'ĭng) pronunciation
 
Home > Library > Literature & Language > Dictionary
n.
  1. The manner in which one carries or conducts oneself: the poise and bearing of a champion.
    1. A machine or structural part that supports another part.
    2. A device that supports, guides, and reduces the friction of motion between fixed and moving machine parts.
  3. Something that supports weight.
  4. The part of an arch or beam that rests on a support.
    1. The act, power, or period of producing fruit or offspring.
    2. The quantity produced; yield.
  6. Direction, especially angular direction measured from one position to another using geographical or celestial reference lines.
  7. Awareness of one's position or situation relative to one's surroundings. Often used in the plural: lost my bearings after taking the wrong exit.
  8. Relevant relationship or interconnection: Those issues have no bearing on our situation.
  9. Heraldry. A charge or device on a field.
adj.

Architecture. Designed to support structural weight: a bearing wall.


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Thesaurus: bearing
 
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noun

  1. Behavior through which one reveals one's personality: address, air, demeanor, manner, mien, presence, style. Archaic port. See be, style/good style/bad style.
  2. The compass direction in which a ship or an aircraft moves: course, heading, vector. See approach/retreat.
  3. One's place and direction relative to one's surroundings. location, orientation, position, situation. See place.
  4. The fact of being related to the matter at hand: applicability, application, appositeness, concernment, germaneness, materiality, pertinence, pertinency, relevance, relevancy. See relevant/irrelevant.

 
Antonyms: bearing
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n

Definition: significance
Antonyms: insignificance, irrelevance

 
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: bearing
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In machine construction, a connector (usually a support) that permits the connected members to rotate or to move in a straight line relative to one another. Often one of the members is fixed, and the bearing acts as a support for the moving member. Most bearings support rotating shafts against either transverse (radial) or thrust (axial) loads. To minimize friction, the contacting surfaces in a bearing may be separated by a film of oil or gas; these are sliding bearings (see oil seal). In ball bearings and roller bearings, the surfaces are separated by balls or rollers.

For more information on bearing, visit Britannica.com.

 
Architecture: bearing
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1. A bearer.
2. That portion of a beam, truss, or other structural member which rests on the supports.
3. The support for a shaft, axle, or trunnion.
4. In surveying, the horizontal angle between a line and a reference meridian adjacent to the quadrant in which the line lies.

bearing, 4

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: bearing
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bearing, machine part designed to reduce friction between moving parts or to support moving loads. There are two main kinds of bearings: the antifriction type, such as the roller bearing and the ball bearing, operating on the principle of rolling friction; and the plain, or sliding, type, such as the journal bearing and the thrust bearing, employing the principle of sliding friction. Roller bearings are either cylindrical or tapered (conical), depending upon the application; they overcome frictional resistance by a rolling contact and are suited to large, heavy assemblies. Ball bearings are usually found in light precision machinery where high speeds are maintained, friction being reduced by the rolling action of the hard steel balls. In both types the balls or rollers are caged in an angular grooved track, called a race, and the bearings are held in place by a frame, commonly called a pillow block or plummer block. Ball bearings or roller bearings reduce friction more than sliding bearings do. Other advantages of antifriction bearings include ability to operate at high speeds and easy lubrication. A journal bearing usually consists of a split cylindrical shell of hard, strong metal held in a rigid support and an inner cylindrical part of soft metal, which holds a rotating shaft, or journal. A self-aligning journal bearing has a spherically shaped support that turns in a socket to adjust to movements of the shaft. Slight misalignment of the shaft can be accommodated in the ordinary journal bearing by wearing of the soft bearing material, often an alloy of tin or lead. Less frequently used are aluminum alloys, steel, cast iron, or a thin layer of silver covered with a thin coating of a soft bearing material. Ideally, a film of lubricant, normally oil, separates journal and bearing so that contact is prevented (see lubrication). Bearings that are not split are called bushings. A thrust bearing supports an axial load on a shaft, i.e., a force directed along a shaft's length. It may be a plate at the end of a shaft or a plate against which the collar on the shaft pushes. Large thrust bearings, such as those used to transmit the motive force of a ship's propeller from the shaft to the hull, have blocks that are separated from the collar on the shaft by wedge-shaped spaces filled with oil. Graphite bearings are used in high-temperature situations. Certain plastics make satisfactory self-lubricating bearings for low speeds and light loads and, if additionally lubricated, work at higher speeds and carry greater loads. Rubber and a naturally oily wood, lignum vitae, are used in water-lubricated bearings. Watches and other precision instruments have glass or sapphire pivot bearings. In gas-lubricated bearings a film of gas separates the bearings from the moving machine parts. Magnetic bearings employ magnetic repulsion to separate journal from bearing, reducing friction still further.

 
Veterinary Dictionary: bearing
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1. the female genital tract.
2. a piece of harness.

  • lose the b. — uterine prolapse.
  • b. retainer — device for retaining a replaced uterine or vaginal prolapse.
  • b. trouble — see vaginal prolapse.
 
Military Dictionary: bearing
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(DOD) The horizontal angle at a given point measured clockwise from a specific datum point to a second point. See also grid bearing; relative bearing; true bearing.

 
Word Tutor: bearing
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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: Carrying.

pronunciation They arrived bearing extravagant gifts for their first grandchild.

Tutor's tip: While "baring" (uncovering) his bald head for the crown, his "bearing" (conduct or deportment) was regal.

 
Wikipedia: Bearing (navigation)
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In marine and aviation navigation, a bearing is the direction of one object in relation to another object, the other object usually being one's own vessel or aircraft. In land navigation, a bearing is the angle between a line connecting two points and a north-south line, or meridian.[1]

Contents

Historical definitions

Land navigation

In land navigation, a bearing was traditionally defined in land surveying terms as a fixed number line which gave the smallest arc (never to exceed 90 degrees).[2][3] More specifically, a bearing was measured both east and west from north and south, divided into four quadrants.[4] In contrast, an azimuth was a clockwise measurement of a circle from a zero point at a fixed horizontal plane of reference (such as a north meridian), expressed in degrees, mils, or other unit of angular measurement.[5] Under this definition, for example, a given azimuth in degrees would be expressed as 60°, while the equivalent bearing would be expressed as N 60° E.[6][7]

Use of bearings

Determining a position

A bearing can be taken relative to a charted or mapped object at a specific time. This bearing can be used to determine the position of the vessel or landmark when used in conjunction additional bearing(s) or other information (e.g. depth, declination, etc.).

However, a pre-calculated bearing to a charted object can be also be used as a precautionary measure. For instance, if anchored in a harbor with a shore to the north, it can be decided that the vessel must stay to the south of an object to its east. If it does not, an anchor watch must inform someone to take action. Or, if moving through a channel with obstructions to the west and which is not well-marked with buoys, it can be decided that the vessel might have to stay to east of a particular charted object. Similarly, a land navigator might walk a bearing several degrees to the east of his actual course to avoid difficult ground, or to intercept an intersecting position (such as a road or trail) leading to his/her destination.[8] Upon reaching the road, the navigator simply turns west to ensure he will reach the destination. These types of bearings are sometimes termed limit bearings, aim-off bearings, danger bearings, or index bearings.[9]

Piloting

A bearing can be taken on another vessel to aid piloting. If the two vessels are travelling toward each other and the relative bearing remains the same over time, there is likelihood of collision and action needs to be taken by one or both vessels to prevent this.

Warfare

A bearing can be taken to a fixed or moving object in order to target it with gunfire or missiles.

Search and rescue

A bearing can be taken to a person or vessel in distress in order to go to their aid or, when that is not possible, to report the person or vessel to authorities or someone who can go to their aid.

Types of bearings

Types of bearings include:

  • true bearings
  • magnetic bearings
  • grid bearings
  • compass bearings
  • relative bearings.

A true bearing is measured in relation to the fixed horizontal reference plane of true north, that is, using the direction toward the geographic north pole as a reference point.

A magnetic bearing is measured in relation to magnetic north, that is, using the direction toward the magnetic north pole (in northeastern Canada) as a reference.

A grid bearing is measured in relation to the fixed horizontal reference plane of grid north, that is, using the direction northwards along the grid lines of the map projection as a reference point.

In vehicle or marine navigation, a compass bearing is measured in relation to the magnetic compass of the navigator's vehicle or vessel (if aboard ship). It should be very close to the magnetic bearing. The difference between a magnetic bearing and a compass bearing is the deviation caused to the compass by ferrous metals and local magnetic fields generated by any variety of vehicle or shipboard sources (steel vehicle bodies/frames or vessel hulls, ignition systems, etc.)

A relative bearing is one in which the reference direction is straight ahead, where the bearing is measured relative to the direction the navigator is facing (on land) or in relation to the vessel's bow (aboard ship).

Bearing measurement

There are several methods used to measure navigation bearings:


1. In land navigation, a bearing is ordinarily calculated in a clockwise direction starting from a reference direction of 0° and increasing to 359.9 degrees.[10] Measured in this way, a bearing is referred to as an azimuth.[11] If the reference direction is north (either true north, magnetic north, or grid north), the bearing is termed an absolute bearing. In a contemporary land navigation context, true, magnetic, and grid bearings are always measured in this way, with true north, magnetic north, or grid north being 0° in a 360-degree system.[12]

2. In marine or aircraft navigation, an angle may be measured from straight ahead on each side. If the reference direction is straight ahead, then the bearing is called a relative bearing. Starboard bearings are 'green' and port bearings are 'red'. Thus, in ship navigation, a target directly off the starboard side would be 'Green090' or 'G090'.[13] This method is only used for a relative bearing.

3. In marine navigation, a navigator on watch does not have always have a corrected compass available with which to give an accurate bearing. If available, the bearing might not be numerate. Therefore, every forty-five degrees of direction from north on the compass was divided into four 'points'. Thus, 32 points of 11.25° each makes a circle of 360°. An object at 022.5° relative would be 'two points off the starboard bow', an object at 101.25° relative would be 'one point abaft the starboard beam' and an object at 213.75° relative would be 'three points on the port quarter'. This method is only used for a relative bearing.

4. An informal method of measuring a relative bearing is by using the 'clock method'. In this method, the direction a vessel, aircraft or object is measured as if a clock face is laid over the vessel or aircraft, with the number twelve pointing forward. Something straight ahead is at 'twelve o'clock', while something directly off to the right is at 'three o'clock'. This method is only used for a relative bearing.

5. In land surveying, a bearing is the clockwise or counterclockwise angle between north or south and a direction. For example, bearings are recorded as N57°E, S51°E, S21°W, N87°W, or N15°W. In surveying, bearings can be referenced to true north, magnetic north, grid north (the Y axis of a map projection), or a previous map, which is often a historical magnetic north.

Other information

 Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (January 2009)

If navigating by gyrocompass, the reference direction is true north, in which case the terms true bearing and geodetic bearing are used. In stellar navigation, the reference direction is that of the North Star, Polaris.

Generalizing this to two angular dimensions, a bearing is the combination of antenna azimuth and elevation required to point (aim) an antenna in a given direction. The bearing for geostationary satellites is constant. The bearing for polar-orbiting satellites varies continuously.

Moving from A to B along a great circle can be considered as always going in the same direction (the direction of B), but not in the sense of keeping the same bearing, which applies when following a rhumb line. Accordingly, the direction at A of B, expressed as a bearing, is not in general the opposite of the direction at B of A (when traveling on the great circle formed by A and B). For example, assume A and B in the northern hemisphere have the same latitude, and at A the direction to B is eastnortheast. Then going from A to B, one arrives at B with the direction eastsoutheast, and conversely, the direction at B of A is westnorthwest.

Notes

  1. ^ Rutstrum, Carl, The Wilderness Route Finder, University of Minnesota Press (2000), ISBN 0816636613, p. 194
  2. ^ U.S. Army, (17 September 1941), pp. 24-25
  3. ^ U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (28 March 1956), ch. 3, pp. 69-70
  4. ^ U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (28 March 1956), ch. 3, pp. 69-70
  5. ^ U.S. Army, Advanced Map and Aerial Photograph Reading, Headquarters, War Department, Washington, D.C. (17 September 1941), pp. 24-25
  6. ^ U.S. Army, (17 September 1941), pp. 24-25
  7. ^ U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (28 March 1956), ch. 3, pp. 69-70
  8. ^ Keay, Wally, Land Navigation: Routefinding with Map & Compass, Coventry, UK: Clifford Press Ltd. (1995), ISBN 0319008452, 978-0319008454, pp. 220-221, 226-228
  9. ^ Keay, pp. 220-221, 226-228
  10. ^ Keay, pp. 133-134
  11. ^ U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (7 May 1993), ch. 6, p. 2
  12. ^ Keay, pp. 133-134
  13. ^ This method is used by the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy in accordance with the Admiralty Manual of Navigation, BR45.

References

  • Keay, Wally, Land Navigation: Routefinding with Map & Compass, Coventry, UK: Clifford Press Ltd. (1995), ISBN 0319008452, 978-0319008454
  • Rutstrum, Carl, The Wilderness Route Finder, University of Minnesota Press (2000), ISBN 0816636613
  • U.S. Army, Advanced Map and Aerial Photograph Reading, Headquarters, War Department, Washington, D.C. (17 September 1941)
  • U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (28 March 1956)
  • U.S. Army, Map Reading and Land Navigation, FM 21-26, Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, Washington, D.C. (7 May 1993)

See also

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External links


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Translations: Bearing
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - kropsholdning, adfærd

idioms:

  • bearing up    det at holde humøret oppe
  • beyond bearing    ikke til at holde ud
  • get one's bearings    miste orienteringen, fare vild
  • to have a bearing on    have indflydelse på, have indvirkning på

Nederlands (Dutch)
houding, draagwijdte, belang, relatieve positie, relevantie, peiling, wapenbeeld, kussenblok, ondersteuning, het (ver) dragen, het voortbrengen, stellingname

Français (French)
n. - maintien, port, allure, relation, rapport, (Naut) position, (Tech) palier, contenant du

idioms:

  • bearing up    tenir le coup, résister
  • beyond bearing    (être) absolument insupportable
  • get one's bearings    s'orienter, se repérer
  • to have a bearing on    avoir un rapport avec le sujet

Deutsch (German)
n. - Verhalten, Haltung, Bedeutung, Ertragen, Bezug, (mech.) Lager, Position

idioms:

  • bearing up    durchhalten
  • beyond bearing    unerträglich
  • get one's bearings    sich orientieren
  • to have a bearing on    für etwas relevant sein

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - παρουσιαστικό, εμφάνιση, σωματική διάπλαση, παράστημα, σχέση, σημασία, συμπεριφορά, διαγωγή, αντοχή, (μηχαν.) ρουλεμάν, (μτφ.) τεκνοποιία, καρποφορία, (γεωγρ.), (μαθημ.) σχετική θέση, διόπτευση, αντιστοιχία, (αρχιτ.) βάθρο, υποστήριγμα, έδρανο, φέρουσα επιφάνεια, έμβλημα θυρεού

idioms:

  • bearing up    αντέχω
  • beyond bearing    που δεν υποφέρεται με τίποτα
  • get one's bearings    προσανατολίζομαι
  • to have a bearing on    έχω σχέση με

Italiano (Italian)
portata, atteggiamento

idioms:

  • bearing up    rilevante
  • beyond bearing    insopportabile, insopportabilmente
  • get/find one's bearings    orientarsi
  • lose one's bearings    sbagliare strada
  • to have a bearing on    riguardante

Português (Portuguese)
n. - atitude (f), rumo (m), paciência (f), transporte (m), rolamento (m) (Mec.)

idioms:

  • bearing up    mostrar coragem durante uma hora difícil
  • beyond bearing    além das forças
  • get/find one's bearings    orientar-se
  • lose one's bearings    perder-se
  • to have a bearing on    ter conformidade com

Русский (Russian)
манера поведения, важность, значение, подшипник

idioms:

  • bearing up    не поддается
  • beyond bearing    невыносимый, невыносимо
  • get/find one's bearings    сориентироваться
  • lose one's bearings    растеряться
  • to have a bearing on    имеет прямое отношение

Español (Spanish)
n. - transporte, soporte, cojinete, envergadura, alcance, importancia, conducta, porte

idioms:

  • bearing up    sentirse mejor
  • beyond bearing    inaguantable, insoportable, insufrible, intolerable
  • get one's bearings    orientarse
  • to have a bearing on    tener cartas en el asunto

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - hållning, uppträdande, lager (tekn.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
举止, 忍受, 轴承

idioms:

  • bearing up    承受, 支持
  • beyond bearing    难以忍受, 受不了
  • get one's bearings    定位, 了解自己的处境
  • to have a bearing on    有关系, 有关联

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 舉止, 忍受, 軸承

idioms:

  • bearing up    承受, 支持
  • beyond bearing    難以忍受, 受不了
  • get one's bearings    定位, 了解自己的處境
  • to have a bearing on    有關係, 有關聯

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 태도, 관계, 방위

idioms:

  • beyond bearing    도저히 참을 수 없다
  • get one's bearings    자기의 위치를 확인하다
  • to have a bearing on    관계가 있는

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 態度, 圧力, 方位, 関係, 意味, 軸受, ベアリング, 紋章, 忍耐, 出産

idioms:

  • bearing up    支えること
  • beyond bearing    我慢ができない
  • get/find one's bearings    自分の立場がわかる
  • to have a bearing on    と関係がある

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) سلوك, تصرفات, مطهر, هيئه, نسبه, علاقه, ارتباط, اتجاه, الحمل, كرسي, وسادة, محمل, وجه, انجاب, ولادة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮התנהגות, הופעה, קשר, יחס, התייחסות, השלכה, כיוון, מיסב, התמצאות, יכולת-סבל‬

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Did you mean: bearing (part of machine), bear (to hold up; support), Bearings, Inc., bearings


 

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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Thesaurus. Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Answers Corporation Antonyms. © 1999-2009 by Answers Corporation. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Military Dictionary. US Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Words, 2003.  Read more
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