inclined plane
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
1Words 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
Hence the latter is not level, but has, in places, steps which have been worn to an inclined plane.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowSome clocks are still made with a small ball, or bullet on an inclined plane, which turns every minute.
The Old Furniture Book | N. Hudson MooreFrom the suspension bridge, below the Falls, you have an inclined plane of troubled waters.
Recollections of a Long Life | John StoughtonOx mills on an inclined plane, and horse mills by draught, are common through the country.
A New Guide for Emigrants to the West | J. M. PeckThe body of the person to be reflected is against an inclined plane, which is covered with black cloth.
Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians | William K. David
British Dictionary definitions for inclined plane
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
[ ĭn′klīnd′ ]
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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