POLF (1) (0. Eng. pd!, cf. Ger. Pfahl, Du. pact', from Lat. pales, stake)

This article appears in Volume V21, Page 977 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: PIG-POL

POLF (1) (0. Eng. pd!, cf. Ger. Pfahl, Du. pact', from Lat. pales, stake) , a tapering cylindrical post or stake of some considerable length, used as a support in scaffolding, for telegraph or telephone wires, hops, &c., and as a means for taking jumps (see

POLE

-VAULTING), and also as a single

shaft

for a vehicle

drawn

DRAWN

by two or more horses. As a measure of length a "

pole

," also called " rod " or "

perch

," is equal to 51 yds. (16 ft.), as a measure of area it is equal to 30; sq. yds. (2) (Lat. polus, adapted from Gr. 1roXos, pivot,

axis

AXIS (Lat. for " axle ")

), one or other of the extremities of the

axis

AXIS (Lat. for " axle ")

of the earth; the "

celestial

CELESTIAL, OR STELLAR

pole " is one or other of the points in the heavens to which the earth's axis points; in the northern hemisphere this point is near the

star

STAR

Ursae minoris, better known as the Pole-

star

STAR

or Polaris (see URSA MAJOR). For the regions lying about the north and

south

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

poles of the earth see POLAR REGIONS.
In mathematics the word pole has several meanings. In spherical trigonometry the " pole " of a circle on a sphere is the point where the

diameter

DIAMETER (from the Cr. &a, through, µErpov, measure)

of the sphere perpendicular to the plane of the circle intersects the sphere. In crystallography (q.v.) the " pole " of a face is the intersection of a line perpendicular to the face with
the sphere of projection. The

term

TERM

is also applied to a point from which lines radiate, as, for instance, the origin in a system of polar co-ordinates, or the common point of a pencil of rays. In the geometry of conic sections the " pole " of a line, termed the " polar " of the point, is the intersection of the tangents (either real or imaginary) at the points where the line meets the conic (see GEOMETRY: Projective). The " magnetic poles " of the earth are the points on the earth's surface where the dipping needle is vertical (see TERRESTRIAL MAGNETISM) ; and the " poles " of a magnet are the points of the magnet where the magnetic intensity is greatest. In electricity, the

term

TERM

is applied to the elements of a galvanic battery (q.v.), or to the terminals of a frictional electrical machine.

End of Article: POLF (1) (0. Eng. pd!, cf. Ger. Pfahl, Du. pact', from Lat. pales, stake)

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