The _____ of a screw thread is the distance from one point on a thread to the corresponding point on the next thread.

• A. Pitch
• B. Lead
• C. Crest
• D. Flank

Answer: (A)

The distance from one point on a thread to the corresponding point on the next thread is the pitch. It is measured along the screw’s axis and defines how far apart the thread turns are, which dictates how fine or coarse the screw feels when turned. For a single-start screw, pitch and lead are the same, but for multiple starts the lead (how far the nut advances in one full turn) is pitch times the number of starts. The crest is the top edge of the thread, and the flank is the sloped surface between the crest and the root, so they describe parts of the thread rather than the spacing between threads. This makes pitch the correct choice.