[Math] Difference between “intercept” and “intersect”

soft-questionterminology

What is the difference between intercept and intersect? Can they be used interchangeably? For example, intersecting lines and intercepting lines.

Best Answer

There is a temporal element to intercept which is absent from intersect: if two paths are generated respectively by two particles moving through space, the paths may intersect; however, one particle only intercepts the other if they arrive at the point of intersection simultaneously.