INVERSE SQUARE LAW Definition & Meaning

inverse square law

noun

Physics, Optics.

one of several laws relating two quantities such that one quantity varies inversely as the square of the other, as the law that the illumination produced on a screen by a point source varies inversely as the square of the distance of the screen from the source.

inverse square law

noun

any natural law in which the magnitude of a physical quantity varies inversely with the square of the distance from its source

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 ( 1 3 ² , the inverse of 3 squared) as much illumination as an object placed one foot from the light.

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Example Sentences

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Once you measure a Cepheid’s period, you can calculate its distance from how bright it appears using the inverse square law.

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The researchers found that all the unique choices people make—from dropping kids at school to shopping or commuting—obey this inverse square law when considered in aggregate.

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But was this an inevitable consequence of an inverse square law?

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Hooke, though, told the other two that he could derive all the laws of planetary motion starting out from the assumption of an inverse square law.

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Whatever, there is no doubt that when Halley did visit Newton they discussed planetary orbits and the inverse square law.

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