minor axis
- noun
- /ˈmaɪnər ˈæksɪs/
- Specialized
:
eje menor
- Modifications over rectangular regions, defined by the nodes on the major and minor axes of the rectangle, can also be interactively introduced by the prosthetist in the patching mode.
Examples
-
For 2D flows, the eigenvectors give the directions, in an infinitesimal sphere released at 0, that will be mapped into the major and minor axes of the ellipsoid into which the sphere has formed at time t.
Academic text (2012) -
The minor axis of the ellipse is perpendicular to the major axis and determines its height.
-
Remember your minor axis goes through these.
-
The Co vertices are on the minor axis and those have a distance of B.
-
So you've got an ellipse that you rotate in its minor axis and you get this football shape.
-
The minor axis of this ellipse runs north-south, and its length depends on the declination (celestial latitude) of the source (see box on p. 36).
Academic text (1996) -
The result of the application of the above model is displayed by overlaying each average contour point with this ellipsis that has a long (major) axis and a short (minor) axis that fit to the direction of maximum and minimum covariation.
Academic text (2011) -
Because the ear canal part of the earmold was oval in cross-section in all subjects (Figure 2), both the major axis (the long axis) and the minor axis (the short axis) were measured at the canal entrance and at the canal tip.
Academic text (1990) -
In an ellipse, the lengths of the major and minor axis help to define its shape and size.
-
When calculating the area of an ellipse, the length of the minor axis is an essential factor.
Antonyms
- Specialized
The longest straight line through an ellipse that passes through its two special inner points
How Long
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'minor' (= smaller) + 'axis' (a line or diameter), so its meaning 'the shorter diameter of an ellipse' follows directly from the constituents. This geometrical naming pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words (in the mathematical sense of 'minor' = smaller) will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The term minor axis comes from the picture of an oval: the major axis is the long line through the center, while the minor axis is the shorter line that crosses it at a right angle. That is why minor axis means the 'shorter diameter' of an oval or a stretched ball.
