A coordinate system consisting of N straight lines (called the axes) intersecting at a common point (called the origin) and determining N-1 distinct, N-1 dimensional hyperplanes. The n-th coordinate (1≤n≤N) of a point is the distance between that point and the hyperplane determined by all axes but the nth, and measured parallel to the n-th axis. Alternatively, a set of N families of N-1 dimensional hyperplanes such that members of the same family have no line in common, while members of different families intersect in one and only one line. The coordinates of a point are then the set of values of the parameters determining the N hyperplanes passing through that point. The units in which distances are measured need not be the same along all the axes, and the axes need not intersect at right angles. A Cartesian coordinate system (CCS) for which the units of distance are different in different directions is sometimes erroneously called an affine CCS. If all the axes intersect at right angles, the system is called a rectangular CCS or simply a CCS. Otherwise, it is called an oblique CCS. Distances are usually measured from the hyperplane to the point and are assigned a positive or a negative value according to some specified convention.