downpointers

Noun

downpointer (plural downpointers)

1. A pointer in a hierarchical data structure that points to the node that is down from the current node.
   • Except at level zero, the downpointer always points down.1969, Information Processing: Proceedings of the IFIP Congress, page 1249
2. An indicator that points toward the ground.
   • During one session , the subject used a canopy-mounted downpointer to estimate position in space relative to the ground, and in the other session the subject used a joystick-controlled, inside-out, aircraft attitude indicator.1989, Aviation Space and Environmental Medicine, page 492