inclined plane

See synonyms for inclined plane on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. one of the simple machines, a plane surface inclined to the horizon, or forming with a horizontal plane any angle but a right angle.: Compare machine (def. 4b).

Origin of inclined plane

1
First recorded in 1700–10

Words Nearby inclined plane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use inclined plane in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for inclined plane

inclined plane

noun
  1. a plane whose angle to the horizontal is less than a right angle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for inclined plane

inclined plane

[ ĭnklīnd′ ]


  1. A plane surface, such as a ramp or a blade, set at an acute angle to a horizontal surface, a direction of motion, or a direction of force. Inclined planes are used to increase the distance over which work is done, reducing the amount of force needed to impart energy to a system. Rolling a car up a hill, for example, requires less force than lifting it straight up off the ground. Many tools, such as the ax, wedge, chisel, and highway ramp, exploit the mechanical properties of the inclined plane.

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