gravity

«gravity» in Mova's school dictionary: The force that pulls things towards each other… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (gravity — uncountable)

meaning for a pupil

1) The force that pulls things towards each other, especially the pull of the Earth that makes things fall and gives them weight. tree →

2) Seriousness: «the gravity of the situation» (formal). tree →

sense in the lessons

In science: gravity pulls everything down towards the centre of the Earth; it keeps the Moon going round the Earth and the planets round the Sun; on the Moon gravity is about one sixth of Earth's, so you would weigh less; Isaac Newton described it (the story of the falling apple). In space astronauts float because they are falling around the Earth all the time. Phrases: the force of gravity, pull of gravity, zero gravity, low gravity, centre of gravity.

examples

• Gravity makes the ball fall back down. tree →
• The Moon's gravity is weaker than Earth's. tree →
• Gravity keeps the planets moving around the Sun. tree →
• Without gravity we would float away. tree →
• Isaac Newton studied gravity. tree →
• Water flows downhill because of gravity. tree →
• Astronauts feel almost weightless in space. tree →
• A low centre of gravity helps you balance. tree →

note

Uncountable: no «a gravity». Gravity is a force (a pull); weight is how hard gravity pulls on you. Mass stays the same on the Moon; weight gets smaller. Myth: there is gravity in space — astronauts float because they are falling around Earth, not because gravity is gone. Myth: heavy and light things fall at the same speed without air.

In the corpora

• Roots hold the plant in the ground and take in water and minerals, growing down with gravity and towards water.
• You stay balanced when the point where your weight is centred (your centre of gravity) is above the area between your feet.
• Bending your knees lowers your centre of gravity and makes you steadier.
• A tightrope walker carries a long pole because it helps her keep her centre of gravity over the rope.
• Gravity always pulls straight down, towards the centre of the Earth, even on a slope.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «gravity» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.