Repères

Repères, or reference points, serve as frames of reference, landmarks, or standards used to orient, measure, and compare positions, values, or progress. The term is used across disciplines to designate elements that help locate something relative to a standard.

In mathematics and geometry, a repère (reference frame) consists of an origin and a set of axes that define coordinates for points in space. In two dimensions, this typically means two perpendicular axes; in three dimensions, three. The coordinates of a point depend on the chosen repère, and changes between repères correspond to geometric transformations or changes of basis.

In education, repères denote milestones or benchmarks describing the expected competences or progress at a given level. They appear as repères de progression in curricula, repères temporels to mark dates, or repères spatiaux to guide spatial reasoning. They help teachers assess learning and students orient themselves within a sequence of tasks.

In geography and navigation, repères are physical features or landmarks that aid orientation, mapping, or distance estimation. They serve as reference points for routes, triangulation, and place-naming, and are commonly used in fieldwork, orienteering, and cartography.

In scientific and technical languages, repère is a general term for a standard reference value, baseline, or point of comparison. The plural repères is widely used in French-speaking contexts to denote such reference points across fields.