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Glite Dictionary
radius vector

radius vector

8.7
A straight line from a point to a central point, for example the center of rotation or the origin
  • noun
  • /ˈreɪdiəs ˈvɛktər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vector de radio
  • The radius vector is crucial for determining the rotational dynamics of the system.

Examples

  • In a coordinate system, the radius vector points from the origin to the object's current position.

  • To calculate the force acting on the satellite, we need to consider the radius vector from the planet's center to the satellite.

  • That is, it's the motion is along the radius vector to the point in the scene.

Synonyms

radius
vsradius vector
  • Specialized
10 3.2

A straight line from the center of a circle or sphere to its edge

points from an external point inward toward the central point

Surface Forms

radius vector singular
radius vectors plural

Morphology

radius + vector

The term is directly compositional: a 'radius vector' is simply a vector corresponding to a radius (a directed line from the center to a point), so its meaning follows straightforwardly from 'radius' + 'vector'. Although technical, this noun–noun composition is regular in scientific vocabulary and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a learner who knows both constituent words can infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The term radius vector comes from a simple image: imagine a wheel with a spoke from the center to the rim. The spoke is the radius and an arrow on it is the vector, so a radius vector is the straight line from the center to a point that shows its 'position'.