drag-cup motor
- noun
- Specialized
- A drag-cup motor is often used in sensitive measurement devices because of its low inertia.
Examples
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Replacing the drag-cup motor improved the instrument's response time.
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The engineer inspected the drag-cup motor to diagnose the unusual noise.
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The drag-cup motor is known for its efficiency.
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Many engineers prefer drag-cup motors for their designs.
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A drag-cup motor is often used in sensitive measurement devices because of its low inertia.
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Replacing the drag-cup motor improved the instrument's response time.
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The engineer inspected the drag-cup motor to diagnose the unusual noise.
Synonyms
A machine that uses changing electric current and magnets to turn and drive equipment
Surface Forms
Morphology
drag-cup + motor
The key component 'drag-cup' is a specialized technical compound (not a common lexical item) and is not transparently interpretable from ordinary meanings of 'drag' and 'cup'. Even if a learner knows 'motor' and the separate words, they would not be able to infer the precise engineering sense (a cup-shaped conducting rotor with a stationary magnetic core). The overall meaning is specialized and unpredictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Drag-cup motor is named for the rotor shaped like a cup that turns around a fixed core, and the moving cup seems to drag the magnetism as it turns. That's why the name describes how the motor works and explains why it gives 'smooth, steady' motion useful in precise instruments.