As stated above, a chair flip is a ring inversion specifically of cyclohexane (and its derivatives) from one chair conformer to another, often to reduce steric strain. The term, "flip" is misleading, because the direction of each carbon remains the same; what changes is the orientation. A conformation is a unique structural arrangement of atoms, in particular one achieved through the rotation of single bonds. A conformer is a conformational isomer, a blend of the two words.