mobile

1. Capable of moving or of being moved readily from place to place: a mobile organism; a mobile missile system.
2. 1. Capable of moving or changing quickly from one state or condition to another: a mobile, expressive face.
   2. Fluid; unstable: a mobile situation following the coup.
3. 1. Marked by the easy intermixing of different social groups: a mobile community.
   2. Moving relatively easily from one social class or level to another: an upwardly mobile generation.
   3. Tending to travel and relocate frequently: a restless, mobile society.
4. Flowing freely; fluid: a mobile liquid.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin mōbilis, from *movibilis, from movēre, to move.]

Remote, portable, on-the-go. The term "mobile" used by itself is wireless parlance for the client device, such as a cellphone, PDA or laptop. See mobile computing, mobile platform, mobile app stores and mobile Web site.

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adjective

1. Capable of moving or being moved from place to place: movable, moving, transportable, traveling. See move/halt.
2. Changing easily, as in expression: changeable, fluid, plastic. See change/persist.

Definition: movable, traveling
Antonyms: fixed, immobile, stable, stationary, unmovable

For more information on mobile, visit Britannica.com.

A sculpture made up of suspended shapes that move.

A simple modern mobile in the style of Alexander Calder

A mobile is a type of kinetic sculpture constructed to take advantage of the principle of equilibrium. It consists of a number of rods, from which weighted objects or further rods hang. The objects hanging from the rods balance each other, so that the rods remain more or less horizontal. Each rod hangs from only one string, which gives it freedom to rotate about the string.

The sculptor Alexander Calder is well known for his mobiles even if such an original idea may belong to Bruno Munari.^{[citation needed]} Calder invented the mobile in 1931. Marcel Duchamp suggested the name "mobile".^[1] Mobiles are also popular in the nursery, where they hang over cribs to give infants something to entertain them and give them external visual stimulation.

Mobiles have inspired many composers, including Morton Feldman and Earle Brown who were inspired by Calder to create mobile-like indeterminate pieces. Frank Zappa also claimed that his compositions were modelled on Calder mobiles.

Mobile by Stephen H Kawai

The meaning of the term “mobile” as applied to sculpture has evolved since it was first suggested by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe the early, mechanized creations of Alexander Calder. At this point, “mobile” was synonymous with the term “kinetic art”, describing sculptural works in which motion is a defining property. While motor or crank-driven moving sculptures may have initially prompted it, the word “mobile” later came to refer more specifically to Calder’s free-moving creations. Influenced by the abstract work of Piet Mondrian, Joan Miró and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Calder in many respects invented an art form where objects (typically brightly coloured, abstract shapes fashioned from sheet metal) are connected by wire much like a balance scale. By the sequential attachment of additional objects, the final creation consists of many balanced parts joined by lengths of wire whose individual elements are capable of moving independently or as a whole when prompted by air movement or direct contact. Thus, “mobile” has become a more well-defined term referring to the many such hanging constructs Calder produced in a prolific manner between the 1930s and his death in 1976. A succinct definition of the term “mobile” in a visual art sense could be a type of kinetic sculpture in which an ensemble of balanced parts capable of motion are hung freely in space.

See also

• Whippletree, a device used to balance force among draught horses.

References

1. ^ Tomkins, Calvin: Duchamp: A Biography, pages 294. Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1996. ISBN 0-8050-5789-7

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - bevægelig, mobil
n. - mobile, uro

idioms:

• mobile home    beboelsesvogn, campingvogn
• mobile phone    mobiltelefon

Nederlands (Dutch)
beweeglijk, mobiel, veranderlijk, rondtrekkend, flexibel

Français (French)
adj. - mobile, ambulant, sans fil, (fig) mobile
n. - (gén, Art) mobile

idioms:

• mobile home    mobile home, résidence mobile
• mobile phone    téléphone portable

Deutsch (German)
adj. - beweglich, mobil, fahrbar, lebhaft
n. - Mobile

idioms:

• mobile home    Wohnwagen
• mobile phone    Mobiltelefon

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - κινητός, ευκίνητος, (μτφ.) ευμετάβλητος, άστατος, σβέλτος
n. - κινητό κομψοτέχνημα, μόμπαϊλ, κινητό τηλέφωνο

idioms:

• mobile home    τροχόσπιτο
• mobile phone    κινητό τηλέφωνο

Italiano (Italian)
mobile

idioms:

• mobile home    caravan
• mobile phone    telefono cellulare

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - móvel
n. - móbile (m)

idioms:

• mobile home    trailer (m)
• mobile phone    telefone celular (m)

Русский (Russian)
подвижный, непостоянный, передвижной, подвижная абстрактная скульптура, простонародье

idioms:

• mobile home    дом на колесах
• mobile phone    сотовый телефон

Español (Spanish)
adj. - movible, móvil, ambulante
n. - movible, móvil, ambulante

idioms:

• mobile home    casa rodante
• mobile phone    teléfono celular, teléfono móvil

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - rörlig, ombytlig
n. - mobil

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
移动的, 机动的, 易变的, 运动物体

idioms:

• mobile home    活动房屋
• mobile phone    便携式电话, 移动电话, 大哥大, 手机

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 移動的, 機動的, 易變的
n. - 運動物體

idioms:

• mobile home    活動房屋
• mobile phone    攜帶型電話, 行動電話, 大哥大, 手機

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 움직일 수 있는, 변하기 쉬운
n. - 움직이는 조각, 가동물

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 移動できる, 次々と変わる, 移動しやすい, 動きやすい, 流動的な
n. - モビール, 動く彫刻

idioms:

• mobile home    移動住宅
• mobile phone    携帯電話

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) متحرك, متنقل (الاسم) تغير, تحرك‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮נייד, מתנייע, מתחלף, נע, משני הבעה (פנים)‬
n. - ‮קישוט תלוי הנע באופן חופשי, מרצדת, פלפון‬

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