inverse-square law

The principle in physics that the effect of certain forces on an object varies by the inverse square of the distance between the object and the source of the force. The magnitude of light, sound, and gravity obey this law, as do other quantities. For example, an object placed three feet away from a light source will receive only one ninth (132, the inverse of 3 squared) as much illumination as an object placed one foot from the light.

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anchorite
a granular metamorphic rock.
a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.
a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.
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Words nearby inverse-square law

inverse cosine, inverse cotangent, inverse function, inverse image, inverse square law, inverse-square law, inversely, inversion, inversion casting, inversion layer, inversion of uterus
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.