rotation axis

American  

noun

Crystallography.

1. an imaginary line through a crystal about which the crystal may be rotated a specified number of degrees and be brought back to its original position.

---

Etymology

Origin of rotation axis

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Former endeavors had been limited to two-dimensional approaches that assumed the symmetry about the Sun's rotation axis.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2024

"Measuring the location of the rotation axis very precisely is really important to the GPS system and so to everyone who uses it, either with a cell phone, flying in an aircraft, etc."

From Salon • Jun. 21, 2023

Saturn’s field, on the other hand, is perfectly aligned with its rotation axis.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Over time, our orbit twists and flexes under the perturbation of the other planets, and the Earth’s rotation axis nods back and forth.

From Slate • Oct. 2, 2013

The lander will carry four instruments, which will determine Mars' rotation axis and measure the seismic waves and heat flowing through and from the planet's interior.

From Scientific American • Aug. 21, 2012