left-handed coordinate system [`left ¦hand·ǝd kō`ȯrd·ǝn·ǝt ´sis·tǝm] MATHEMATICS 1. A three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system such that when the thumb of the left hand extends in the positive direction of the first (or x ) axis, the fingers fold in the direction in which the second (or y ) axis could be rotated about the first axis to coincide with the third (or z ) axis. 2. A coordinate system of a Riemannian space which has negative scalar density function. |