Definition:Tangent Plane

Definition

Let $\SS$ be the surface of a solid geometric figure.

Let $Q$ be a point on $\SS$.

A tangent plane to $\SS$ at $Q$ is a plane $P$ which intersects $\SS$ such that:

all straight lines $\LL$ embedded in $P$ that intersect $\SS$ are tangent to $\SS$.

Also see

• Results about tangent planes can be found here.

Sources

• 1989: Ephraim J. Borowski and Jonathan M. Borwein: Dictionary of Mathematics ... (previous) ... (next): tangent plane
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): tangent plane
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): tangent plane
• 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): tangent plane