Thread: definition of a stroke

what is the definition of a stroke when used for example to describe the stroke of a gas piston in a rifle?.. ive heard automotive people say its the length of travel of the piston, and engineering/physics people say its the length of travel that a force is applied to the piston, so the stroke would be when gasses begin to press on it and end when gasses are vented and no longer acting on the piston

so, what is the true definition of a stroke?

It is addressing a golf ball and making a swipe at it.....even if you MISS THE BALL...it is a stroke!

When your brain farts!

Also a stroke of lightning, a stroke of luck, a stroke of affection....

Most mechanics take 1 stroke to be one part of a full cycle and name them by function.
A 4 stroke motor would have an intake stroke, a compression stroke, a firing (power) stroke, and an exhaust stroke.
In a two stroke engine the functions are combined because the intake and exhaust actions overlap with the compression and power actions in the strokes.
Oddly enough in the 2 stroke case the length of the stroke depends more on when the function of the stroke starts and ends than on the piston's location being top dead center or bottom dead center.

I suppose the best way to define 1 stroke is that it is one movement of the piston through the cylinder from start to stop.

the automotive industry is big in this country, a huge car culture in america so the definition of the word stroke as its used erroneously.. or at least synonymously in the auto industry is where most people assume the meaning comes from.. but stroke shares the same root word as strike, like wrote uses the same root word as write, even translated into other languages the word "stroke" means to strike something

the misuse of the term likely comes from the automotive industry where the actual stroke (distance in which a force is acted upon) and the length of travel of the piston are typically the same.. in golf, the term stroke is used because of the force youre acting upon the club, not the length of travel of the golf club.. if you let go and send the golf club flying, is it still a stroke or only when youre applying a force to it through a swing?

Word Origin & History

stroke
"act of striking," c.1300, probably from O.E. *strac, from P.Gmc. *straikaz (cf. M.L.G. strek, Ger. streich,Goth. striks "stroke"), related to the verb stracian (see stroke (v.)). The meaning "mark of a pen" is from1567; that of "a striking of a clock" is from 1436. Sense
of "feat, achievement" (e.g. stroke of luck, 1853) first found 1672; the meaning "single pull of an oar orsingle movement of machinery" is from 1731. Meaning "apoplectic seizure" is from 1599 (originally theStroke of God's Hand). Swimming sense is from 1800.

stroke
"pass the hand gently over," O.E. stracian, related to strican "pass over lightly," from P.Gmc.*straikojanan, which is related to the root of strike, from PIE base *streig- (see strigil). Fig. sense of"soothe, flatter" is recorded from 1513.
The noun meaning "a stroking movement of the hand" is recorded from 1631.

even the word "stroke" when used in the medical field to describe a loss of blood to the brain was originally referred to as apoplexy from the greek word αποπληξία (apoplyxia) meaning a strike, or a blow, so the medical term of a stroke comes from the true definition of stroke that ive given, thats listed first in the dictionary, same place the automotive industry borrows the definition.. does this mean a golf stroke results in sudden blood loss to the brain?.. no, though it might, depends on what you hit with the golf club

Different strokes for different folks!

Originally Posted by justin22885

even the word "stroke" when used in the medical field to describe a loss of blood to the brain was originally referred to as apoplexy from the greek word αποπληξία (apoplyxia) meaning a strike, or a blow, so the medical term of a stroke comes from the true definition of stroke that ive given, thats listed first in the dictionary, same place the automotive industry borrows the definition.. does this mean a golf stroke results in sudden blood loss to the brain?.. no, though it might, depends on what you hit with the golf club

Also this same medical event is refferred to in early european terms as an "Elf stroke" as in the patient has been attacked by an unseen elf.