alignment

alignment

[ə′līn·mənt]

(archeology)

An arrangement of a single row or of multiple rows of standing stones at a sites formerly occupied by humans.

(civil engineering)

In a survey for a highway, railroad, or similar installation, a ground plan that shows the horizontal direction of the route.

(electronics)

The process of adjusting components of a system for proper interrelationship, including the adjustment of tuned circuits for proper frequency response and the time synchronization of the components of a system.

(engineering)

Placing of surveying points along a straight line.

(mapping)

Representing of the correct direction, character, and relationships of a line or feature on a map.

(mining engineering)

The act of laying out a tunnel or regulating by line; adjusting to a line.

(nuclear physics)

A population p (m) of the 2 I + 1 orientational substates of a nucleus; m = -I to + I, such that p (m) = p (-m).

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Alignment

An arrangement or adjustment of forms or spaces according to a specific line.

Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture Copyright © 2012, 2002, 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

alignment

1. An adjustment in a straight line.

2. The theoretical, definitive lines that establish the position of construction (such as a building) or the shape of an individual element (such as a curved or straight beam).

3. In highway and other surveys, the ground plan depicting direction of the route as distinguished from a profile, which shows the vertical element.

4. In prehistoric building, formal alleys of standing stones, as at Carnac in France.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

alignment

(1) Arranging data to line up with a required format on a screen or printed form.

(2) Arranging data in memory in increments of the fundamental "word size" of the computer in order to improve response times. Although memory may be wasted such as a one-byte variable taking up four bytes to conform to a 32-bit word, data are accessed faster when stored within word boundaries. While only nanoseconds are saved with each byte of memory retrieved, programmers create numerous counters to keep track of internal operations that collectively may be accessed millions of times per second. In the x86 PC world, data alignment in memory is important for parallel multimedia operations (see SSE). See word.

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Alignment

 

(in Russian, iustirovka), the aggregate of operations for bringing measuring devices into a condition that ensures the proper functioning of the devices. During alignment, errors that are discovered as a result of the checking or calibration of measuring devices are rectified.

The main alignment operations are as follows: the testing of the condition of a measuring device; the adjustment of the relative position of parts and subassemblies by means of, for example, screws and shims; the elimination of defects by means of grinding, lapping, and honing; and the replacement of individual parts and subassemblies.

The alignment of optical systems consists mainly in the adjustment of the relative position of optical parts—for example, lenses, prisms, and mirrors—in order to align the parts and provide a high image quality. When optical parts are aligned, they are secured by means of screws, pins, or adhesive bonding. The designs of optical systems usually provide for devices that adjust the position of the optical parts and that secure the parts during alignment.

The term “alignment” (iustirovka) is usually employed with respect to measuring instruments, in particular, optomechanical instruments. With respect to machinery, the term “adjustment” (regulirovka) is used more often.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.