In the three-dimensional case a surface normal, or simply normal, to a surface at a point P is a vector that is perpendicular to the tangent plane to that surface at P.
In the three-dimensional case a surface normal, or simply normal, to a surface at a point P is a vector that is perpendicular to the tangent plane to that surface at P. The word normal is also used as an adjective: a line normal to a plane, the normal component of a force, the normal vector, etc. . That is, any vector orthogonal to all in-plane vectors is by definition a surface normal. If a (possibly non-flat) surface S is parameterized by a system of curvilinear coordinates x (s, t), with s and t real variables, then a normal is given by the cross product of the partial derivatives. The normal body surface area is generally taken to be 1.7 m2 but, in actual fact, the body surface area depends on more than just height and weight. Other influential factors include the age and gender of the individual. For example: 1  Average body surface area for adult men: 1.9 m2.  Long term averages of sea surface temperature are used to calculate the normal seas surface temperature conditions for a specific time of year and location. Deviations from the long-term mean are called anomalies.  In mechanics, the normal force is the component, perpendicular to the surface (surface being a plane) of contact, of the contact force exerted on an object by, for example, the surface of a floor or wall, preventing the object to fall. The strength of the force can be calculated as: where N is the normal force, m is the mass of the object, g is the gravitational field strength, and θ is the angle of the inclined surface measured from the horizontal. The normal force is one of several forces which act on the object. Wiktionary (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition: normal (Noun). A line or vector that is perpendicular to another line, surface, or plane. normal (Noun). A person who is normal, who fits into mainstream society, as opposed to those who live alternative lifestyles. normal (Adjective). According to norms or rules.  A normal to a surface at a point is the same as a normal to the tangent plane to that surface at that point. In geometry, a normal is an object such as a line or vector that is perpendicular to a given object. For example, in the two-dimensional case, the normal line to a curve at a given point is the line perpendicular to the tangent line to the curve at the point. . That is, any vector orthogonal to all in-plane vectors is by definition a surface normal. If a (possibly non-flat) surface S is parameterized by a system of curvilinear coordinates x (s, t), with s and t real variables, then a normal is given by the cross product of the partial derivatives. · just now. Report Abuse. In mathematics a normal is a line orthogonal (perpendicular) to a plane, a line or vector is normal to a plane if it is orthogonal to it. Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_nor... Sangmo · 7 years ago. Thumbs up.  The normal vector, often simply called the normal, to a surface is a vector which is perpendicular to the surface at a given point. When normals are considered on closed surfaces, the inward-pointing normal (pointing towards the interior of the surface) and outward-pointing normal are usually distinguished. The normal vector is commonly denoted or, with a hat sometimes (but not always) added (i.e., and) to explicitly indicate a unit normal vector. The normal vector at a point on a surface is given by. (1). S ea Surface Temperature anomalies in degrees Celsius, or SST anomalies for short, are how much temperatures depart from what is normal for that time of year. This makes sense; we might say that we had a warm winter even though it was still much colder than summer. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_normal http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=39851 http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/oceanography/physical-ocean/temperature/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_force http://www.definitions.net/definition/normal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_normal https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080523070335AAaZ6fO http://mathworld.wolfram.com/NormalVector.html http://meteora.ucsd.edu/~pierce/elnino/sstanoms.html
what is meant by the term normal to the surface