Float
Float turns up in 2 fields: hydrography, textiles. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Float in hydrography
Describes an RTK solution whose carrier-phase ambiguities are not yet fixed, giving only decimetre-level accuracy.
The status an RTK receiver reports when it has corrections but cannot yet resolve integer ambiguities. Positions in float wander by decimetres and heights by more, which wrecks ellipsoid-referenced depths. Crews watch the fix status constantly; dropping to float under bridges, near tall ships or far from the base is a reason to pause logging or plan to post-process.
"We dropped to float behind the warehouse again, flag those lines for PPK."
Float in textiles
A length of yarn that passes over multiple opposing threads without being interlaced.
In weaving and knitting, a segment of yarn that crosses over two or more adjacent yarns without interlacing or catching. In woven fabrics, warp or weft floats create patterns like satin and twill. In stranded colorwork knitting, floats are carried across the back of the fabric to hide unused colors. Long floats can catch or snag easily, so they are often secured or caught if they exceed a certain length.
"Catch your floats every five stitches so the back of the sweater doesn't snag on jewelry."