Lexic.us

Definition of Indicatrix

1. n. A certain conic section supposed to be drawn in the tangent plane to any surface, and used to determine the accidents of curvature of the surface at the point of contact. The curve is similar to the intersection of the surface with a parallel to the tangent plane and indefinitely near it. It is an ellipse when the curvature is synclastic, and an hyperbola when the curvature is anticlastic.

Definition of Indicatrix

1. Noun. (mathematics crystallography) An ellipsoid whose three axes represent the refractive indices of an anisotropic crystal for light following different directions with respect to the crystal axes ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Medical Definition of Indicatrix

1. A three-dimensional construction of the optical relationships in a crystal. Radii proportional in length to either refractive index or velocity may be used to represent variations in those values throughout a crystal (or oriented polymer fibres and films). (05 Aug 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Indicatrix

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