Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
interact by means of force
English answer:
interact through dry friction
Added to glossary by
Nik-On/Off
Dec 23, 2006 12:48
17 yrs ago
English term
Ukraine
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interact by means of force
English
Science
Physics
scientific writing
The mass M interacts with the moving belt by means of force of dry friction.
Dear native speakers, how does this sentence sound to you, especially the "by means of" part. Would you replace it with a different preposition such as "by"? Thank you in advance
Dear native speakers, how does this sentence sound to you, especially the "by means of" part. Would you replace it with a different preposition such as "by"? Thank you in advance
Responses
| 4 +4 | through dry friction |
Richard Benham
|
| 4 | the agency of the force of friction |
Erika Reed (X)
|
Responses
+4
2 hrs
Richard Benham
France
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Native in: English 
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Related KudoZ points
:
4
English term (edited):
by means of force of dry friction
Selected
through dry friction
Your suggestion is rubbish. You would never say "by means of force of" anything. Why mention force at all? Why use "by means of" when "through" expresses the required meaning much better? When in doubt, keep it simple!
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Note added at 2 hrs (2006-12-23 15:42:43 GMT)
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Yes, I am not disputing that it is a force, but what else would you expect friction to be? Friction is a force by definition; so including "force" does not add to the meaning> And "through the force of dry friction" sounds terribly clumsy. I suppose "through dry frictional forces" would be a bit better, but I still can't for the life of me see why you need to include the word "force".
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Note added at 2 hrs (2006-12-23 15:42:43 GMT)
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Yes, I am not disputing that it is a force, but what else would you expect friction to be? Friction is a force by definition; so including "force" does not add to the meaning> And "through the force of dry friction" sounds terribly clumsy. I suppose "through dry frictional forces" would be a bit better, but I still can't for the life of me see why you need to include the word "force".
Note from asker:
| Richard, this force of dry friction has been defined explicitly (and denoted by Ff) and indicated in a figure. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you!"
40 mins
the agency of the force of friction
"by means of" is used here to elaborate on the nature of the interaction, explaining that there is something inherent in 'the force of friction' that explains the way the moving belt and mass M interact.
the 'means' of something is its ability to cause something or have an effect, or its 'agency'.
in example, to completely rephrase, one could say that 'the interaction (or relationship) between mass M and the moving belt can be determined "through", "using" or "by applying" (the laws, theory, or agency of) the force of dry friction.
the 'means' of something is its ability to cause something or have an effect, or its 'agency'.
in example, to completely rephrase, one could say that 'the interaction (or relationship) between mass M and the moving belt can be determined "through", "using" or "by applying" (the laws, theory, or agency of) the force of dry friction.
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