What is the appropriate usage of "symmetrical" and "symmetric" (using the geometrical adjectival definition of both terms)? Are they synonymous? The first point to note is that symmetric and symmetrical are effectively synonyms for most purposes (but as answers to the earlier indicate, the former has recently become far more common in technical contexts).

Understanding the Context

The correct mathematical term is a palindromic number (or a numerical palindrome). To quote Wikipedia: A palindromic number or numeral palindrome is a number that remains the same when its digits are reversed. Like 16461, for example, it is "symmetrical". The term palindromic is derived from palindrome, which refers to a word (such as rotor or racecar) whose spelling is unchanged when its ...

Key Insights

138 chamfer /ˈ (t)SHamfər/ verb: in carpentry, cut away (a right-angled edge or corner) to make a symmetrical sloping edge. noun: a symmetrical sloping surface at an edge or corner. – Google If that final form has an edge that is at a 45-degree angle, then it is a chamfered edge. Portions can be harmonious, balanced, and/or symmetrical but are not required to be, according to how it’s defined. If you draw a potato and it’s taller than a skyscraper, it’s out of proportion.

Final Thoughts

If you draw a potato and there’s a section missing, it’s missing a portion. Use'z'. The situation is not symmetrical. While many people in the UK prefer the 's' (and some will make a fuss about 'z' being "American"), both forms are recognised in the UK, and the Oxford Dictionaries (which are widely taken as authorities) prefer 'z'. On the other side, I have encountered Americans who were not even aware that 's' was a possibility, and regarded it as simply a mistake.