orthogonal

Vocabulary Word

Definition

'Orthogonal' refers to things that are right angles to each other, but it's also used when we talk about ideas or things that are independent of each other - like studying and playing, they don't affect each other.

Examples in Different Contexts

In strategic planning, 'orthogonal' might refer to independent growth areas. A strategist might argue, 'Exploring orthogonal markets will diversify our risk.'

Practice Scenarios

Tech

Scenario:

We're trying to improve the precision of our data model without affecting its recall.

Response:

We could introduce orthogonal changes so that improving precision wouldn't lower our recall rate.

Business

Scenario:

We've noticed the market trend is positive, but we're not sure if this will have any effect on our product's performance.

Response:

Our product development is orthogonal to market trends, meaning its success isn't dependent on them.