Part of the Computing fundamentals glossary:

1) In physics, spin is the velocity of rotation of something around a particular axis. Spin is sometimes called angular momentum , which is defined as:

Next Steps

( mass ) x ( velocity ) x ( radius ), where radius is the distance from the spinning object to the axis.

The underlying principle can be illustrated by the spin of a figure skater with outflung arms, considering the spinning object the skater's hands and the body the axis. Velocity is inversely proportional to the radius, increasing if the radius becomes smaller and decreasing if it becomes larger. Similarly, the distance of the skater's hands from his body controls the speed of the spin: as the skater brings the arms in closer to the body (at a smaller angle relative to the body), the speed of the spin increases and as he moves them farther out (at a greater angle relative to the body), the speed of the spin decreases.

Spin of subatomic particles is measured in multiples of a unit called the Dirac h, or h-bar.

2) In public relations and journalism, spin is the selective assembly of fact and nuance to support a particular view of a story.

This was last updated in September 2005
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

Related Terms

Definitions

  • entanglement

    - Entanglement is a term used in quantum theory to describe the way that particles of energy/matter can become correlated to predictably interact with each other regardless of how far apart they are. (SearchCIO-Midmarket.com)

  • qubit

    - A qubit is a quantum bit, the counterpart in quantum computing to the binary digit or bit of classical computing. (WhatIs.com)

  • quantum computing

    - Quantum computing is the area of study focused on developing computer technology based on the principles of quantum theory, which explains the nature and behavior of energy and matter on the quantu... (WhatIs.com)

Glossaries

  • Computing fundamentals

    - Terms related to computer fundamentals, including computer hardware definitions and words and phrases about software, operating systems, peripherals and troubleshooting.

  • Internet applications

    - This WhatIs.com glossary contains terms related to Internet applications, including definitions about Software as a Service (SaaS) delivery models and words and phrases about web sites, e-commerce ...

Dig Deeper

Continue Reading About spin

Fast References

People Who Read This Also Read...

Ask a Question. Find an Answer.Powered by ITKnowledgeExchange.com

Ask An IT Question

Get answers from your peers on your most technical challenges

Ask Question

Tech TalkComment

Share
Comments

    Results

    Contribute to the conversation

    All fields are required. Comments will appear at the bottom of the article.