Abscissa and ordinate Abscissa and ordinate In mathematics, the abscissa (; plural "abscissae" or "abscissæ" or "abscissas") and the ordinate are respectively the first and second coordinate of a point in a coordinate system. The abscissa of a point is the signed measure of its projection on the primary axis, whose absolute value is the distance between the projection and the origin of the axis, and whose sign is given by the location on the projection relative to the origin (before: negative; after: positive). The ordinate of a point is the signed measure of its projection on the secondary axis, whose absolute value
What is a Masterpiece? What is a Masterpiece? What is a Masterpiece? is a 1979 non-fiction book by British historian Kenneth Clark. It is a transcribed version of the Walter Neurath memorial lectures given by Clark. The work, initially released on 1 January 1979, received a Thames & Hudson republication on 1 May 1992. Kenneth Clark had already achieved fame with a series of popular books while also serving as, from 1969 on, the writer, producer and presenter of the BBC programme, "Civilisation", a pioneering television documentary series. The prestigious series earned a Peabody Award as well as general commercial success. In the work,