position

Everyday

1. A position is the place where someone or something is. tree →
2. Position is the way a body or thing is placed, such as standing, sitting or lying. tree →
3. A position in a race, list or competition is the place you come, like first or second. tree →
4. A position in a team is the role or area a player covers. tree →
5. A position can be a job. tree →
6. To position something means to put it carefully in a place. tree →
7. A position can also mean the situation you are in, especially a difficult one. tree →

In the lessons

Maths: position words (above, below, left, right, between) and coordinates describe where a point is; place value talks about the position of a digit (the 3 in 352 is in the hundreds position). Science: the position of the sun changes across the sky. PE and sport: goalkeeper is a position. Safety: the recovery position in first aid. Phrases: in position, out of position, the recovery position, first position, in a difficult position.

Examples

• Use a grid to describe the position of the treasure. tree →
• The digit 7 is in the tens position in 175. tree →
• She finished in third position in the race. tree →
• What position do you play? Defender. tree →
• Put the injured person in the recovery position. tree →
• Stay in position until the music starts. tree →
• Dad positioned the ladder against the wall. tree →
• The sun's position changes during the day. tree →
• I might have been in a very disagreeable position." tree →

Note

Countable: a position, positions. In maths, the position of a digit gives its value: in 352 the 5 is in the tens position, so it is worth 50. «In a difficult position» means in a hard situation, not a physical place. Spelling: posi-tion, with one s.

In Jewish tradition

Here it means where something is or how it is placed. In the Sefer Yetzirah it is the place of a thing, as the sun looks different from different places. In the numbers essay it means the place of a digit.

Interpretation. The writer thinks the place of a digit gives it its value, a way that one becomes many. He links this to the mysterious "harmony" of the Sefer Yetzirah.

Examples

• Just as the sphere remains the same during the rotation on its axis in its setting and in its rising; yet it appears to us as if it had undergone a great change on account of its different position. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• Did their "harmony" mean the principle of position?' (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• The principle of position is the "miracle" that makes one, many and many, one. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Countable: a position, positions. In maths, the position of a digit gives its value: in 352 the 5 is in the tens position, so it is worth 50. «In a difficult position» means in a hard situation, not a physical place. Spelling: posi-tion, with one s.