formula
part of speech
noun (formula, formulas or formulae)
meaning for a pupil
1) (maths) A rule written with letters and symbols that tells you how to work something out: area = length × width. tree →
2) (science) A short way to write what a chemical is made of, using letters and numbers: H2O is water. tree →
3) A set of steps or a recipe that brings a certain result: «a formula for success». tree →
4) Powdered milk made for feeding babies. tree →
5) A class of motor racing, such as Formula One. tree →
6) A formula can also be a set form of words or a pattern repeated on certain occasions. tree →
sense in the lessons
In maths a formula lets you put numbers in place of letters and get the answer; for example perimeter of a square = 4 × side. In science chemical formulas show the elements in a substance. In family life, babies may drink formula from a bottle. Phrases: use the formula, the formula for, baby formula, a magic formula, Formula One.
examples
- The formula for the area of a rectangle is length times width. tree →
- Using the formula, a square with sides of 5 cm has a perimeter of 20 cm. tree →
- The chemical formula for water is H2O. tree →
- The baby drinks formula from a bottle. tree →
- There is no magic formula for getting good at piano; you have to practise. tree →
- Formula One cars are incredibly fast. tree →
- Write the formula, then put in the numbers. tree →
- [87] This address is a formula, of frequent occurrence under similar circumstances. tree →
note
Plural: formulas (everyday and US) or formulae (more formal, UK science). Verb: formulate (to plan or express carefully). In maths problems, a formula tells you exactly which operations to do with the numbers.
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «formula» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.