inclined plane
1
3.9
- noun
- /ɪnˈklaɪnd pleɪn/
- Specialized
:
plano inclinado
- The architect designed an inclined plane to help workers move heavy materials to the upper floors of the building.
Examples
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It was my second time on an inclined plane.
Blog text (5) -
Around 2600 B.C.E., inclined planes were used, at least in part, to raise the blocks of stone that make up the Great Pyramid.
Academic text (2012) -
Testing: The car is tested via an inclined plane with guides along the sides to prevent the car from leaving the track.
Academic text (2009) -
Objects roll on inclined planes on a path that depends on their shape.
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Suppose we have an incline plane, and on this incline plane we have a block.
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As well as being the first person to formulate laws of friction, Leonardo introduced what has come to be the standard high school friction experiment: sliding objects on an inclined plane.
Academic text (1998) -
Think how much easier it’d be to understand the principle of simple machines, like pulleys and inclined planes, if there weren't any friction.
Fiction book (2002) -
Teams should be encouraged to consider the six simple machines (wheel and axle, pulley, inclined plane, screw, lever, and wedge) as potential mechanical outputs.
Academic text (2010) -
Children enjoy sliding down an inclined plane at the playground during recess.
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During the science lesson, students experimented with moving toy cars down an inclined plane to see how speed changes with angle.
Synonyms
How Steep
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a sloping flat surface' is directly and transparently derivable from combining 'inclined' (tilted or sloping) with 'plane' (flat surface); it is a straightforward adjective + noun composition describing the object's shape and function. This compositional pattern is cross-linguistically common (e.g., Spanish 'plano inclinado', French 'plan incliné'), so an average B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.
Etymology
The noun inclined plane comes from the simple image of a flat plane set at an angle, or inclined, like a ramp. Because the surface slopes, you can push or roll a heavy box up with less force than lifting it, so the term names the simple tool that helps move things.