trajectory
part of speech
noun (a trajectory, trajectories)
meaning for a pupil
1) A trajectory is the curved path that a thrown, kicked or fired object follows through the air or space. tree →
2) A trajectory is also the direction in which something develops over time, like the trajectory of a career or of prices. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science and maths it is the path of a ball, arrow or rocket, usually an arch shape called a parabola because gravity pulls it down. In space lessons rockets and probes follow trajectories to planets. In grown-up talk: «on an upward trajectory» means getting better or bigger. Phrases: «the ball's trajectory», «change trajectory», «on a trajectory».
examples
- The football followed a high trajectory into the net. tree →
- Scientists worked out the rocket's trajectory to Mars. tree →
- Gravity bends a ball's trajectory into a curve. tree →
- The arrow's trajectory was too low and it hit the ground. tree →
- Draw the trajectory of the paper plane on the graph. tree →
- The team's results are on an upward trajectory. tree →
- A strong wind changed the kite's trajectory. tree →
note
Countable; plural «trajectories» (y → ies). Stress on «-JEC-». A trajectory is a path, not a speed. A thrown ball's path is a curve (a parabola), not a straight line, because gravity pulls it down all the time.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «trajectory» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.