tripod

Everyday

1. A stand with three legs used to hold a camera, telescope or other equipment steady. tree →
2. (science) A three-legged metal stand for holding a beaker or dish over a Bunsen burner. tree →
3. Any object or creature with three legs, such as the alien machines in "The War of the Worlds". tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons pupils put a gauze on a tripod above a Bunsen burner to heat water safely. In photography a tripod stops photos from being blurry. In maths and design lessons three legs make a stand stable even on bumpy ground, because three points always sit flat. Phrases: on a tripod, camera tripod.

Examples

• Put the beaker on the tripod and gauze. tree →
• The photographer set her camera on a tripod. tree →
• A tripod doesn't wobble, even on uneven ground. tree →
• We watched the stars through a telescope on a tripod. tree →
• In the old story, giant alien tripods walked across England. tree →
• Be careful: the tripod gets hot over the Bunsen burner. tree →
• Next, she placed the tripod over it, and the kettle on top. tree →

Note

Countable: a tripod, tripods. "Tri" means three, "pod" means foot (as in tricycle, triangle). Maths fact: three points always lie on one flat plane, which is why a three-legged stool does not rock but a four-legged one can.