| air force |
the aviation branch of a nation's military forces, or one of the units under an air command. |
| centrifugal force |
a force that tends to pull a particle or body outward, away from the axis around which it rotates. (Cf. centripetal force.) |
| centripetal force |
a force that tends to pull a particle or body toward the axis around which it rotates. (Cf. centrifugal force.) |
| Coriolis force |
a force held to be responsible for the straying off course of a falling object toward a rotating body such as the earth. |
| electromotive force |
the force that causes electrical current to flow, usu. measured in volts. |
| force of attraction |
a force between two bodies, molecules, particles, or the like, that attracts each to the other. |
| force of nature |
in physics, any one of the fundamental forces that occur in nature, including electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force, and gravitational force. [3 definitions] |
| force pump |
a pump with a valveless plunger, used to raise the level of a liquid or convey it through a pipe by the application of pressure. |
| force-feed |
to force (one) to eat, learn, or accept something either against the will or at an uncomfortably fast pace. |
| force-out |
a baseball play in which a runner in forced out at the next base following the hitting of a fair ball by a teammate. |
| G-force |
(often l.c.) a unit of inertial stress on a body that is subjected to rapid acceleration, equal to about thirty-two feet per second per second. |
| life force |
see "élan vital." |
| line of force |
the imaginary line in a field of electrical or magnetic force that indicates the direction taken by that force. |
| task force |
a temporary group of military personnel formed to accomplish a specific mission. [2 definitions] |
| tour de force |
an exceptionally skillful or ingenious creation, performance, or production; outstanding display of skill. |
| work force |
the total number of workers who are actively employed in a business, industry, or nation, or who are available for employment; labor force. |