Quincunx (disambiguation)

A quincunx originally meant a 5/12 fraction of something, but most modern uses involve patterns of five points. "Quincunx" or "quincuncial" may in particular refer to

Derived from original meaning

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Geometric patterns of points

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  • Quincunx, five points, four in a square with one more in the middle of the square.
  • An orchard planted in a square lattice aligned diagonally to the surrounding plot of land
  • Quincunx matrix, a 2×2 Hadamard matrix that generates points in a diagonal lattice pattern
  • Bean machine, also called a quincunx, a machine designed by Sir Francis Galton to demonstrate normal distributions, consisting of an array of pins in a diagonal lattice pattern
  • Quincuncial map, a method of mapping the globe onto a square so that the poles map to the five points of a quincunx
  • Place des Quinconces, a city square in Bordeaux, France, named for the quincunx pattern in which its trees were planted
  • Rhombic lattice, the points of intersection of two families of equally spaced parallel lines, called a quincunx In 19th-century mathematics

Literature

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Biology

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  • Quincuncial aestivation, an arrangement of five parts of a flower bud prior to opening found in some plants
  • Quincuncina, a genus of freshwater mussels named for the pattern of nodules on its shells