cubes
cubes — 名詞
1. a three-dimensional shape whose six flat faces are all squares of the same size,
立方體
六面皆為相同正方形的立體形狀。
a three-dimensional shape whose six flat faces are all squares of the same size, like a dice or a sugar lump.
Asher arranged twenty colored cubes on the classroom carpet to teach his daughter shapes.
Asher 在教室地毯上排了二十個彩色立方體，教女兒認識形狀。
countable plural use: 'arranged ... cubes'
Mayumi dropped two cubes of ice into her glass of warm tea.
Mayumi 把兩塊冰塊放進她那杯溫熱的茶裡。
collocation: 'cubes of ice / sugar / cheese'
The chef chopped the potatoes into small cubes before frying them in olive oil.
廚師先把馬鈴薯切成小方塊，再用橄欖油下鍋油炸。
Each side of these wooden cubes measures exactly five centimetres.
這些木製立方體每一邊都剛好五公分。
The art gallery displayed huge metal cubes along the front lawn.
美術館在前面草坪上展示了好幾座巨大的金屬立方體。
文法句型
a cube of [substance]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in cooking and craft contexts with the pattern 'cubes of [food]' (cubes of cheese, ice, sugar, tofu).
常見錯誤
2. in mathematics, the results you get when you multiply a number by itself and the
立方數
一數連續自乘兩次後得到的結果。
in mathematics, the results you get when you multiply a number by itself and then by itself again; for example, the cubes of 2, 3, and 4 are 8, 27, and 64.
Yan asked his students to calculate the cubes of all the numbers from one to ten.
Yan 要求學生計算一到十之間每個數字的立方。
pattern: 'cubes of [numbers]'
The teacher wrote the first six cubes on the board: 1, 8, 27, 64, 125, and 216.
老師在黑板上寫下前六個立方數：1、8、27、64、125、216。
Mauricio noticed that the cubes of even numbers are always even.
Mauricio 注意到偶數的立方一定也是偶數。
Memorising the cubes of small numbers helps Emma solve volume problems faster.
背熟小數字的立方有助於 Emma 更快解體積題。
- third powers
formal mathematical equivalent; less common in everyday speech
- cube roots
the inverse operation: the number that, cubed, gives the target
文法句型
the cube of [number]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (the solid shape): this sense always refers to a number resulting from cubing, and the context is mathematical.
常見錯誤
cubes — 動詞
1. (used in the form 'cubes' as he/she/it cubes) chops food into small block-shaped
切丁
把食材切成小方塊狀準備下鍋。
(used in the form 'cubes' as he/she/it cubes) chops food into small block-shaped pieces, usually before cooking.
Tanvi cubes the chicken first, then marinates the pieces in soy sauce overnight.
Tanvi 先把雞肉切丁，再用醬油醃過夜。
transitive: 'cubes + [food noun]'
Each Saturday morning Isabela cubes the mango while it is still slightly firm.
Isabela 每個週六早上趁芒果還略硬時，就把它切成方塊。
Kofi always cubes the cheese before adding it to the salad.
Kofi 在把起司加進沙拉前，總是先切成小丁。
Reuben cubes the beef into bite-sized pieces for his weekend stew.
Reuben 把牛肉切成一口大小的方塊，準備做週末的燉肉。
- slices
produces flat pieces, not blocks
文法句型
cubes + [food noun]
用法筆記
Subject is usually the cook; object is almost always a food item (meat, cheese, fruit, vegetables). The verb implies pieces about 1-2 cm on each side.
常見錯誤
2. (in mathematics) takes a number and multiplies it by itself twice in a row; for
立方
把一個數自乘兩次的數學運算。
(in mathematics) takes a number and multiplies it by itself twice in a row; for instance, when you cube 4 you get 4 × 4 × 4 = 64.
Élise cubes each input value before plotting the points on her graph.
Élise 在把點繪上圖表前，會先對每個輸入值取立方。
transitive: 'cubes + [number]'
The calculator app cubes any number you type when you press the x³ button.
計算機 app 在你按 x³ 鍵時，會把輸入的任何數字立方。
Kian cubes the radius and then multiplies by a constant to find the sphere's volume.
Kian 把半徑立方後再乘以一個常數，求出球體的體積。
The program cubes every integer between one and one hundred for the demonstration.
程式會把一到一百之間每個整數都立方一次作為示範。
- raises to the third power
formal mathematical equivalent
- takes the cube root of
the inverse operation
文法句型
cubes + [number]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: this sense's object is a number or a variable representing a number, not a food item. Often paired with 'squares' (raise to the second power) in mathematical instructions.
常見錯誤
cubes — 形容詞
1. (in older or technical mathematical writing) describing a quantity that has been
立方的
舊式數學用法，表示某數的三次方。
(in older or technical mathematical writing) describing a quantity that has been multiplied by itself twice; almost always replaced today by 'cubed' or the exponent notation.
Older textbooks at the Mizuki Institute still write 'cubes 5' where modern ones write '5 cubed' or '5³'.
Mizuki 研究所的舊教科書仍寫作「cubes 5」，現代教科書則寫成「5 cubed」或「5³」。
attributive: 'cubes [number]'
Madison found the phrase 'cubes 8' in a Victorian arithmetic book at the library.
Madison 在圖書館一本維多利亞時代的算術書裡看到「cubes 8」這個說法。
Modern teachers seldom use the cubes adjective form; the past participle 'cubed' has replaced it almost everywhere.
現代老師很少用 cubes 這個形容詞形式，過去分詞「cubed」幾乎已經完全取代它。
The archive's old engineering tables list the cubes value of every integer up to one thousand.
檔案室那些舊工程表列出了從一到一千每個整數的立方值。
- cubed
the modern past-participle form; preferred in current writing
文法句型
cubes [number]
用法筆記
Now archaic in mainstream English; learners will almost always meet 'cubed' instead (e.g. 'a number cubed', '5 cubed equals 125'). Include this entry only for reading older mathematical texts.