| right-handed coordinate system [`rīt ¦han·dǝd kō`ȯrd·ǝn´ǝt ´sis·tǝm] MATHEMATICS 1. A three- dimensional rectangular coordinate system such that when the thumb of the right 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 Riemann space which has negative scalar density function. |