–Fall apart | Image by wirestock on Freepik
Context
Live ScienceNearly two millennia after its partial destruction by Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, researchers are close to deciphering a 'lost book' that details the period after Alexander the Great's empire fell apart. Advances in machine learning are allowing the faint ink on the papyrus to be read. The text includes mentions of Macedonian generals such as Seleucus I Nicator and Cassander, who assumed control over the Middle East and Greece, respectively, as Alexander's empire fragmented.
Explanations and Usages
The phrase “fall apart” is widely used to describe a process of disintegration or failure in various contexts. It signifies the transition from a state of cohesion or functionality to one of breakdown or dysfunction, applicable to physical objects, emotional states, and social or organizational structures.
In the physical realm, “fall apart” refers to the deterioration of objects, emphasizing their inability to maintain structural integrity due to wear, damage, or construction flaws. For example, an old book’s binding might fail, causing its pages to separate.
Metaphorically, in emotional or psychological contexts, it captures the decline in mental well-being or emotional stability, often triggered by stress, trauma, or overwhelming situations. It conveys the sense of emotional distress or breakdown individuals experience during tough times.
Furthermore, the phrase describes the disintegration of social or organizational cohesion, indicating the breakdown of collective functionality due to internal conflicts or external pressures. This usage highlights the loss of order, direction, or purpose within groups or systems.
In academic writing, “fall apart” articulates the concept of deterioration or failure, whether referring to material objects, theoretical frameworks, or social structures. It calls for specific examples or evidence to clarify the extent and context of the breakdown being discussed.
Overall, “fall apart” effectively communicates the idea of moving from order to disorder, functionality to dysfunction, across a wide range of applications, making it a versatile and expressive phrase.
Examples
This demonstrates how institutions such as Harvard and Stanford can fall apart in comprehensively teaching diverse narratives, creating noticeable gaps in students’ knowledge.
- As the semester progressed, the efforts of Principal Smith and Superintendent Johnson to navigate the challenges of budget cuts and administrative turnover couldn’t prevent the school’s educational framework from starting to fall apart.
–Education
- Tesla’s stock price increased following the social media posts, but then dropped when the proposal fell apart in less than three weeks.
- In March last year, Archegos’s investments quickly fell apart after significant declines in some of its portfolio stocks led banks to issue margin calls, requiring Archegos to provide more money to support its bets.
–Business
- The $20 billion acquisition of Figma, a San Francisco-based start-up, by Adobe, the software giant, fell apart on December 18 after facing more than a year of regulatory scrutiny.
He observed that although today’s economic challenges are milder than the early 2000s’ dot-com bust, which saw numerous tech companies collapse, there’s a prevailing sense that businesses are falling apart.
–Technology
Using the prairie vole as a model, scientists are exploring the creation of bonds, how early experiences affect relationships, and why it hurts when these bonds fall apart.
The team found that by heating Nylon-6 to melting temperatures and then applying a catalyst without any solvent, the plastic fell apart, breaking down into its original building blocks without any byproducts.
–Science
- “Death of a Salesman,” widely recognized as one of the greatest American plays, centers on a traveling salesman whose career and mental state are falling apart.
The play deeply explores the metaphor of Black women literally falling apart, yet fails to delve into the critical issues that could lend it depth, leaving characters like Angela and Odessa symbolically buried in the sand.
–Arts and Culture
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