inverse square lawn.
/ˌɪnvəːs ˈskwɛː lɔː/, /ᵻnˌvəːs ˈskwɛː lɔː/, U.S. /ᵻnˌvərs ˈskwɛ(ə)r ˌlɔ/, /ˌɪnvərs ˈskwɛ(ə)r ˌlɔ/ Physics.
Any of several physical laws stating that the intensity of a particular force or phenomenon at a given point is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between that point and the source of the force or phenomenon in question.Three of the most famous inverse square laws are those describing the gravitational attraction between two bodies, the intensity of electromagnetic radiation, and the force of attraction or repulsion between two electrically charged particles.
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1886 Electrician 3 Sept. 343/2 There is a solution still simpler than the inverse square law.
1930 Proc. Royal. Soc. B. 126 259 The problem of the collision between two particles interacting according to the inverse square law is exactly soluble on the wave mechanics.
1972 New Scientist 20 Apr. 158/2 Hooke exposed the error and put forward his own hypothesis that gravity obeyed an inverse square law.
2013 G. Greenstein Understanding Universe iv. 90 The formula describing how apparent brightness depends on distance is the inverse square law of the propagation of light.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1886