Revolution vs. Rotation — What's the Difference?

A significant change in societal structures.

The action of spinning around an axis.

A sudden or major instance of change.

A recurring sequence in a set pattern.

An overthrow of a system or government.

The replacement of an individual or item in a sequence.

A cycle or recurrence of stages.

A turning or circular movement.

Movement of one object around another.

A regular interchange of position.

In political science, a revolution (Latin: revolutio, "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due to perceived oppression (political, social, economic) or political incompetence. In book V of the Politics, the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384–322 BC) described two types of political revolution: Complete change from one constitution to another Modification of an existing constitution.Revolutions have occurred through human history and vary widely in terms of methods, duration and motivating ideology.

A rotation is a circular movement of an object around a center (or point) of rotation. The geometric plane along which the rotation occurs is called the rotation plane, and the imaginary line extending from the center and perpendicular to the rotation plane is called the rotation axis ( AK-seez).

Orbital motion about a point, especially as distinguished from axial rotation

The act or process of turning around a center or an axis

A turning or rotational motion about an axis.

A single complete cycle of such motion.

A single complete cycle of such orbital or axial motion.

(Mathematics) A transformation of a coordinate system in which the new axes have a specified angular displacement from their original position while the origin remains fixed.

The overthrow of one government and its replacement with another.

Regular and uniform variation in a sequence or series

A sudden or momentous change in a situation

The sequence in which the starting pitchers on a team pitch in games.

(Geology) A time of major crustal deformation, when folds and faults are formed.

The pitchers used in such a sequence

A political upheaval in a government or state characterized by great change.

The act of turning around a centre or an axis.

The removal and replacement of a government, especially by sudden violent action.

A single complete cycle around a centre or an axis.

Rotation: the turning of an object around an axis, one complete turn of an object during rotation.

A regular variation in a sequence, such as to even-out wear, or people taking turns in a task; a duty roster.

In the case of celestial bodies, the traversal of one body along an orbit around another body.

An operation on a metric space that is a continuous isometry and fixes at least one point.

A sudden, vast change in a situation, a discipline, or the way of thinking and behaving.

(baseball) The set of starting pitchers of a team.

A round of periodic changes, such as between the seasons of the year.

(aviation) The step during takeoff when the pilot commands the vehicle to lift the nose wheel off the ground during the takeoff roll. (see also: V2)

Consideration of an idea; the act of revolving something in the mind.

Repeated play on a radio station, etc.

The act of revolving, or turning round on an axis or a center; the motion of a body round a fixed point or line; rotation; as, the revolution of a wheel, of a top, of the earth on its axis, etc.

The act of turning, as a wheel or a solid body on its axis, as distinguished from the progressive motion of a revolving round another body or a distant point; thus, the daily turning of the earth on its axis is a rotation; its annual motion round the sun is a revolution.

Return to a point before occupied, or to a point relatively the same; a rolling back; return; as, revolution in an ellipse or spiral.

Any return or succesion in a series.

The space measured by the regular return of a revolving body; the period made by the regular recurrence of a measure of time, or by a succession of similar events.

Pertaining to, or resulting from, rotation; of the nature of, or characterized by, rotation; as, rotational velocity.

The motion of any body, as a planet or satellite, in a curved line or orbit, until it returns to the same point again, or to a point relatively the same; - designated as the annual, anomalistic, nodical, sidereal, or tropical revolution, according as the point of return or completion has a fixed relation to the year, the anomaly, the nodes, the stars, or the tropics; as, the revolution of the earth about the sun; the revolution of the moon about the earth.

The act of rotating as if on an axis;

The motion of a point, line, or surface about a point or line as its center or axis, in such a manner that a moving point generates a curve, a moving line a surface (called a surface of revolution), and a moving surface a solid (called a solid of revolution); as, the revolution of a right-angled triangle about one of its sides generates a cone; the revolution of a semicircle about the diameter generates a sphere.

(mathematics) a transformation in which the coordinate axes are rotated by a fixed angle about the origin

A total or radical change; as, a revolution in one's circumstances or way of living.

A single complete turn (axial or orbital);

A fundamental change in political organization, or in a government or constitution; the overthrow or renunciation of one government, and the substitution of another, by the governed.

A planned recurrent sequence (of crops or personnel etc.);

A drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving;

The overthrow of a government by those who are governed

A single complete turn (axial or orbital);

No, while revolution can mean political change, it also denotes orbital movement in astronomy.

Yes, in some contexts, revolution implies a cyclic return.

Earth's revolution (1 year around the Sun) takes longer than its rotation (24 hours).

No, rotation can refer to any object spinning on its axis or a sequence.

Yes, rotation can refer to an interchange of position, as in job roles.

Yes, most planets both rotate on their axes and revolve around their stars.

Factors like size, mass, and external forces can influence rotation speed.

The Earth completes one rotation approximately every 24 hours.

Earth's rotation influences phenomena like the Coriolis effect, impacting weather.

No, some rotations, like those of certain celestial bodies, are too slow or distant to perceive easily.

Uprising, rebellion, or revolt can be synonymous with societal revolution.

The Industrial Revolution, which transformed manufacturing processes, is an example.

Not always. Some revolutions might not achieve their goals, while others result in significant change.

In astronomy, yes. In other contexts, revolution can mean change without orbital movement.

Yes, on Earth, the rotation causes the cycle of day and night.