axis of symmetry
Noun
Meaning
axis of symmetry (plural axes of symmetry)
(geometry) Any of one or more lines about which a geometric figure is symmetric
Synonyms
Examples
Alternative definitions are a quadrilateral with an axis of symmetry bisecting one pair of opposite sides, or a trapezoid with diagonals of equal length.
An "axis of anisotropy" is defined as the axis along which isotropy is broken (or an axis of symmetry, such as normal to crystalline layers).
For a generic solid object without any axis of symmetry, the evolution of the object's orientation, represented (for example) by a rotation matrix R that transforms internal to external coordinates, may be numerically simulated.
Corollary concerning midpoints and endpoints of chords A corollary of the above discussion is that if a parabola has several parallel chords, their midpoints all lie on a line which is parallel to the axis of symmetry.
Deductions Measured along the axis of symmetry, the vertex, A, is equidistant from the focus, F, and from the directrix.
It is not restricted to the situation where the axis of symmetry is parallel to the y-axis.