I am not a teacher or even student of physics but I am translating a

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the translation of a physics paper, specifically focusing on the terminology used in relation to Newton's second law and the concept of mass. Participants are examining the appropriateness of the term "m-dependency" in this context.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • The original poster (OP) questions whether "m-dependency" is an appropriate term, given that "m" is defined as the mass of a planet in the paper.
  • One participant seeks clarification on the meaning of "m-dependency," suggesting it may imply dependence on some mass "m."
  • Another participant recommends translating the term as "dependence on m" and notes that if a new term like "m-dependency" is to be used, it should be clearly defined.
  • The OP expresses gratitude and confirms the decision to use "dependence on m."

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on using "dependence on m" rather than "m-dependency," but there is no consensus on the necessity of defining new terms.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve whether "m-dependency" could be a valid term if properly defined, leaving open the question of terminology in physics translations.

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I am not a teacher or even student of physics but I am translating a physics paper into English and I need some help. I have a sentence that may translate as follows:

"Newton introduced m-dependency upon taking into consideration, within the context of his second law, the experimental fact that all objects close to the Earth’s surface fall with the same gravitational acceleration."

Does the term "m-dependency" make sense in this context? The literal translation would be "dependence with m" and in previous sentences there is a definition of m as the mass of a planet.

Should I use "m-dependency" or "dependence on/with m"?

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
 
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What does m-dependency mean? Dependence on some mass m?
I would try to split that sentence into two smaller ones.
 


@mfb, the OP said the paper defined m as the mass of the planet.

I would translate it as "dependence on m". If you want to use a new techincal term like "m-dependency", you need to define what it means.
 


Thank you. I will use dependence on m.
 

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