altitude of a pyramid

Pyramid \Pyr"a*mid\, n. [L. pyramis, -idis, fr. Gr. ?, ?, of
   Egyptian origin: cf. F. pyramide.]
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   1. A solid body standing on a triangular, square, or
      polygonal base, and terminating in a point at the top;
      especially, a structure or edifice of this shape.
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   2. (Geom.) A solid figure contained by a plane rectilineal
      figure as base and several triangles which have a common
      vertex and whose bases are sides of the base.
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   3. pl. (Billiards) The game of pool in which the balls are
      placed in the form of a triangle at spot. [Eng.]
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   4. (Finance) a fraudulent investment scheme in which the
      manager promises high profits, but instead of investing
      the money in a genuine profit-making activity, uses the
      money from later investors to pay the profits to earlier
      investors; -- also called {pyramid scheme} or {pyramid
      operation}. This process inevitably collapses when
      insufficient new investors are available, leaving the
      later investors with total or near-total losses of their
      investments. The managers usually blame government
      regulations or interference for the collapse of the
      scheme, rather than admit fraud.
      [PJC]

   {Altitude of a pyramid} (Geom.), the perpendicular distance
      from the vertex to the plane of the base.

   {Axis of a pyramid} (Geom.), a straight line drawn from the
      vertex to the center of the base.

   {Earth pyramid}. (Geol.) See {Earth pillars}, under {Earth}.
      

   {Right pyramid} (Geom.) a pyramid whose axis is perpendicular
      to the base.
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