落体 (luò tǐ) — (physics) falling body, free-falling object

Definition

A technical physics term for any object in free fall, used in contexts like 自由落体 ('free fall') and 落体运动 ('falling-body motion'). It is a noun referring to the object itself, not the act of falling.

noun
(physics) falling bodyfree-falling object
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 落体。
    luò tǐ De yùn dòng guǐ jì shì pāo wù xiàn.
    The trajectory of a falling body is a parabola.
  • ，落体。
    Hū lüè kōng qì zǔ lì shí, luò tǐ de jiā sù dù shì jiǔ diǎn bā mǐ měi èr cì fāng miǎo.
    When air resistance is ignored, the acceleration of a falling body is 9.8 m/s².
  • 落体。
    Jiā lì lüè tōng guò bǐ sà xié tǎ shí yàn zhèng míng le luò tǐ de sù dù yǔ zhì liàng wú guān.
    Galileo's Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment proved that the speed of a falling body is independent of its mass.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

落luòfall
体tǐbody

A 体 (body) that is in a state of 落 (falling).

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎo
Sound part声符shēngfú
洛
洛luò落luò
Same sound today

落 pairs 艹 with 洛; 洛 gives the sound, and 艹 relates to the meaning.

Open 落 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →

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