In mechanics, for each particle belonging to a system, and for each independent direction in which movement is possible, two degrees of freedom are defined, one describing the particle's momentum in that direction, the other describing the particle's position along an axis defined by that direction.
It sounds like for a particle there are six degrees of freedom. However, we can ask- is there another mapping for three dimensional space which may allow for a different number of degrees of freedom?
For example, within a plane, we normally consider two degrees of freedom (along the x and y axis). However, we could also consider it with a polar notation, and then consider the angle and the distance.
If the grid is not continuous, then wouldn't it be a single degree of freedom, since you could enumerate away from the origin?
So does continuity tie directly in with degrees of freedom?