- Astrolabe Bay (bay, New Guinea)
Oceanic art and architecture: Astrolabe Bay: The people of Astrolabe Bay, southeast of the coastal Sepik-Ramu area, carved as their most important works large ancestor figures, few of which now remain. Most of the figures are standing males, posed frontally. Their shoulders are hunched well forward of the torso,…
- astrolabon (instrument)
armillary sphere: …and in Ptolemy’s instrument, the astrolabon, there were diametrically disposed tubes upon the graduated circles, the instrument being kept vertical by a plumb line.
- astrology
astrology, type of divination that involves the forecasting of earthly and human events through the observation and interpretation of the fixed stars, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets. Devotees believe that an understanding of the influence of the planets and stars on earthly affairs allows them
- astrometry (astronomy)
star: Stellar positions: Accurate observations of stellar positions are essential to many problems of astronomy. Positions of the brighter stars can be measured very accurately in the equatorial system (the coordinates of which are called right ascension [α, or RA] and
- Astronauci (work by Lem)
Stanisław Lem: …became his first published book, Astronauci (1951; “The Astronauts”), and convinced him to become a full-time writer. Later adapted for an East German film, Astronauci (like his other early works) contains elements of conventional Socialist Realism; Lem later criticized these novels as socially simplistic.
- Astronaut (film by McLeod [2019])
Richard Dreyfuss: The Last Laugh and Astronaut were among his films released in 2019.
- astronaut
astronaut, designation, derived from the Greek words for “star” and “sailor,” commonly applied to an individual who has flown in outer space. More specifically, in the West, astronaut refers to those from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan who travel into space. Those Soviet and later
- astronautical engineering
aerospace engineering, field of engineering concerned with the design, development, construction, testing, and operation of vehicles operating in the Earth’s atmosphere or in outer space. In 1958 the first definition of aerospace engineering appeared, considering the Earth’s atmosphere and the
- astronautics
space exploration, investigation, by means of crewed and uncrewed spacecraft, of the reaches of the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere and the use of the information so gained to increase knowledge of the cosmos and benefit humanity. A complete list of all crewed spaceflights, with details on each
- Astronomia Nova (work by Kepler)
astronomy: Kepler: …of planetary motion, published in Astronomia Nova (New Astronomy, 1609). According to the first law, the paths of planets are ellipses with one focus located at the Sun. The second law, which was actually discovered first, makes a small improvement on Ptolemy’s equant: a planet moves around the Sun at…
- Astronomica (work by Manilius)
Marcus Manilius: He was the author of Astronomica, an unfinished poem on astronomy and astrology probably written between the years ad 14 and 27. Following the style and philosophy of Lucretius, Virgil, and Ovid, Manilius stresses the providential government of the world and the operation of divine reason. He exercises his amazing…
- Astronomical Almanac, The
ephemeris: …same time was renamed The Astronomical Ephemeris. The two are of identical content, reproduced separately in each country; the work of computing is shared. Beginning in 1981, both national ephemerides were renamed The Astronomical Almanac. Ephemerides of Minor Planets, compiled and published annually by the Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, St.…
- astronomical atlas
astronomical map, any cartographic representation of the stars, galaxies, or surfaces of the planets and the Moon. Modern maps of this kind are based on a coordinate system analogous to geographic latitude and longitude. In most cases, modern maps are compiled from photographic observations made
- astronomical catalog (astronomy)
star catalog, list of stars, usually according to position and magnitude (brightness) and, in some cases, other properties (e.g., spectral type) as well. Numerous catalogs and star atlases have been made, some of fundamental importance to stellar astronomy. A star may well appear in several
- astronomical cycles, theory of (geology)
Pleistocene Epoch: Cause of the climatic changes and glaciations: One early theory, the theory of astronomical cycles, seems to explain much of the climatic record and is considered by most to best account for the fundamental cause or driving force of the climatic cycles.
- Astronomical Diary and Almanack (work by Ames)
almanac: …the best of which, the Astronomical Diary and Almanack, was begun by Nathaniel Ames of Dedham, Mass., in 1725 and published until 1775. Benjamin Franklin’s brother James printed The Rhode Island Almanac in 1728, and Benjamin Franklin (under the nom de plume of Richard Saunders) began his Poor Richard’s almanacs,…
- Astronomical Journal, The (American publication)
Benjamin Apthorp Gould: In 1849 he founded The Astronomical Journal, which was modeled on the German journal Astronomische Nachrichten and was the first journal of professional astronomical research published in the United States. Publication lapsed in 1861 because of financial difficulties and the outbreak of the Civil War. After a 25-year hiatus,…
- astronomical map
astronomical map, any cartographic representation of the stars, galaxies, or surfaces of the planets and the Moon. Modern maps of this kind are based on a coordinate system analogous to geographic latitude and longitude. In most cases, modern maps are compiled from photographic observations made
- astronomical observatory
astronomical observatory, any structure containing telescopes and auxiliary instruments with which to observe celestial objects. Observatories can be classified on the basis of the part of the electromagnetic spectrum in which they are designed to observe. The largest number of observatories are
- Astronomical Papers Prepared for the Use of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac (astronomical book)
Simon Newcomb: Accomplishments: …important work appeared in the Astronomical Papers Prepared for the Use of the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, a series of memoirs that he founded in 1879 with the object of giving “a systematic determination of the constants of astronomy from the best existing data, a reinvestigation of the theories…
- astronomical photometry (astronomy)
photometry, in astronomy, the measurement of the brightness of stars and other celestial objects (nebulae, galaxies, planets, etc.). Such measurements can yield large amounts of information on the objects’ structure, temperature, distance, age, etc. The earliest observations of the apparent
- Astronomical Society of London (British science society)
Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), British scientific society founded in 1820 to promote astronomical research. Its headquarters are located in Burlington House, near Piccadilly Circus, London, England. First named the Astronomical Society of London, it received its royal charter on March 7, 1831.
- astronomical transit instrument (astronomy)
telescope: Astronomical transit instruments: These small but extremely important telescopes have played a vital role in mapping the celestial sphere. Astronomical transit instruments are usually refractors with apertures of 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 inches). (Ole Rømer, a Danish astronomer, is credited with having…
- astronomical unit (unit of measurement)
astronomical unit (AU, or au), a unit of length effectively equal to the average, or mean, distance between Earth and the Sun, defined as 149,597,870.7 km (92,955,807.3 miles). Alternately, it can be considered the length of the semimajor axis—i.e., the length of half of the maximum diameter—of
- Astronomische Gesellschaft (German astronomical organization)
Friedrich Wilhelm August Argelander: Argelander founded the Astronomische Gesellschaft (Astronomical Society), which in collaboration with many observatories expanded his work to produce the AG catalogs.
- Astronomische Gesellschaft Katalog (astronomy)
AG catalog, compilation of the positions of all stars brighter than the ninth magnitude, compiled by the Astronomische Gesellschaft of Germany. Friedrich W.A. Argelander, founder of the society, proposed the star catalog in 1867, after completing the Bonner Durchmusterung (“Bonn Survey”). The
- Astronomisches Jahrbuch (astronomical publication)
Johann Elert Bode: …founded in 1774 the well-known Astronomisches Jahrbuch (“Astronomic Yearbook”), 51 yearly volumes of which he compiled and issued. He became director of the Berlin Observatory in 1786 and withdrew from official life in 1825. Among his other publications was Uranographia (1801), a collection of 20 star maps accompanied by a…
- astronomy
astronomy, science that encompasses the study of all extraterrestrial objects and phenomena. Until the invention of the telescope and the discovery of the laws of motion and gravity in the 17th century, astronomy was primarily concerned with noting and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, and
- Astronomy (textbook by Russell)
Henry Norris Russell: ) was an American astronomer—one of the most influential during the first half of the 20th century—who played a major role in the establishment of modern theoretical astrophysics by making physics the core of astrophysical practice. Bearing his name is the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, a graph that demonstrates the relationship…
- Astronotus ocellatus (fish)
cichlid: …fish spotted with blue-green; the oscar (Astronotus ocellatus), an attractive fish with an orange-ringed black spot on its tail base; and the discus (Symphysodon discus), a very deep-bodied fish streaked with blue. Another popular aquarium fish of this group is the angelfish, or scalare (Pterophyllum). A notable cichlid is Tilapia…
- Astropecten (echinoderm genus)
sea star: …arms; among these genera are Astropecten, Psilaster, and Luidia. The largest West Indies sea star, Oreaster reticulatus, is sometimes 50 cm (20 inches) across. Members of the chiefly Indo-Pacific genus Linckia can grow a new individual from a small piece of a single arm.
- Astrophel and Stella (work by Sidney)
Astrophel and Stella, an Elizabethan sonnet sequence of 108 sonnets, interspersed with 11 songs, by Sir Philip Sidney, written in 1582 and published posthumously in 1591. The work is often considered the finest Elizabethan sonnet cycle after William Shakespeare’s sonnets. The cycle tells the story
- Astrophysical Multi-Messenger Observatory Network (astronomy)
multimessenger astronomy: …have joined to form the Astrophysical Multi-Messenger Observatory Network (AMON), which will provide a central clearinghouse so that when an interesting observation of a messenger happens that is likely to be a multimessenger event, an alert will be sent throughout the network. New, more-sensitive observatories are being built to detect…
- astrophysics
astrophysics, branch of astronomy concerned primarily with the properties and structure of cosmic objects, including the universe as a whole. See
- Astrophytum myriostigma (plant)
bishop’s cap cactus, (Astrophytum myriostigma), species of spineless cactus (family Cactaceae) native to Texas and central Mexico. The plant is a common ornamental species. Bishop’s cap cactus usually reaches no more than 100 cm (39 inches) in height and up to 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter. It has
- Astros (American baseball team)
Houston Astros, American professional baseball team based in Houston that has won two World Series titles (2017 and 2022). The Astros play in the American League (AL) but were members of the National League (NL) for the first 51 seasons of the team’s existence and won an NL pennant in 2005 in
- Astroscopus (fish genus)
stargazer: …each shoulder, and some (Astroscopus) have electrical organs on top of the head. The largest members of the family grow to about 9 kg (20 pounds) in weight.
- astroturf (grass product)
Astrodome: AstroTurf, a brand of nylon grass named for the team, was developed when it became apparent that the dome’s Lucite panels prevented the growth of natural grass on the playing field.
- Astruc of Lunel (Jewish zealot)
Astruc of Lunel was an anti-rationalist Jewish zealot who incited Rabbi Solomon ben Abraham Adret of Barcelona, the most powerful rabbi of his time, to restrict the study of science and philosophy, thereby nearly creating a schism in the Jewish community of Europe. Although Astruc revered
- Astruc, Alexandre (French film scholar)
auteur theory: …theories of André Bazin and Alexandre Astruc. A foundation stone of the French cinematic movement known as the nouvelle vague, or New Wave, the theory of director-as-author was principally advanced in Bazin’s periodical Cahiers du cinéma (founded in 1951). Two of its theoreticians—François Truffaut and Jean-Luc
- Astruc, Don (Jewish zealot)
Astruc of Lunel was an anti-rationalist Jewish zealot who incited Rabbi Solomon ben Abraham Adret of Barcelona, the most powerful rabbi of his time, to restrict the study of science and philosophy, thereby nearly creating a schism in the Jewish community of Europe. Although Astruc revered
- Asturian (people)
Reconquista: …about 718, when the Christian Asturians opposed the Moors at the Battle of Covadonga, the impulse toward reconquest was expressed only sporadically through the first three centuries of Muslim hegemony. After a failed invasion of Muslim Spain in 778, in 801 Charlemagne captured Barcelona and eventually established Frankish
- Asturias (region, Spain)
Asturias, comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) and historic region of Spain that is coextensive with the northwestern Spanish provincia (province) of Asturias. It is bounded by the autonomous communities of Cantabria to the east, Castile-León to the south, and Galicia to the west. The
- Asturias (work by Albéniz)
Asturias, solo piano piece written in the early 1890s by Catalan composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz, using rolled chords that effectively evoke the strumming of a guitar. In fact, the version usually played is a transcription of the original piano piece for guitar. Despite being called
- Asturias hydroelectric station (electric station, Nicaragua)
Lake Apanás: It supplies the Asturias hydroelectric station, the largest in the country and the focus of a power grid serving much of the more densely settled Pacific zone of Nicaragua.
- Asturias, Miguel Ángel (Guatemalan author and diplomat)
Miguel Ángel Asturias was a Guatemalan poet, novelist, and diplomat, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1967 (see Nobel Lecture: “The Latin American Novel: Testimony of an Epoch”) and the Soviet Union’s Lenin Peace Prize in 1966. His writings, which combine the mysticism of the Maya with
- Asturias-Leyenda (work by Albéniz)
Asturias, solo piano piece written in the early 1890s by Catalan composer and pianist Isaac Albéniz, using rolled chords that effectively evoke the strumming of a guitar. In fact, the version usually played is a transcription of the original piano piece for guitar. Despite being called
- Asturica Augusta (Spain)
Astorga, city, León provincia (province), in the Castile-León comunidad autónoma (autonomous community), northwestern Spain, on the left bank of the Tuerto River on a spur of the Manzanal mountain chain. It originated as the Roman Asturica Augusta (called a “magnificent city” by Pliny) and was an
- Astyages (king of Media)
Astyages was the last king of the Median empire (reigned 585–550 bc). According to Herodotus, the Achaemenian Cyrus the Great was Astyages’ grandson through his daughter Mandane, but this relationship is probably legendary. According to Babylonian inscriptions, Cyrus, king of Anshan (in
- Astyanax (Greek mythology)
Astyanax, in Greek legend, prince who was the son of the Trojan prince Hector and his wife Andromache. Hector named him Scamandrius after the River Scamander, near Troy. The Trojans named him Astyanax (“Lord of the City”) as the son of Troy’s greatest warrior. In the sixth book of the Iliad, Homer
- Astyanax mexicanus (fish)
cave fish: …of the best known is Astyanax mexicanus (previously Anoptichthys jordani), an eyeless, 7.5-cm characin (family Characidae) found in Mexico and often kept in home aquariums. The gobies in the genus Typhleotris inhabit karst caves in Madagascar. Others include Caecobarbus geertsi, an African member of the minnow family (Cyprinidae), and certain…
- Astydameia (Greek mythology)
Peleus: …by King Acastus, whose wife Astydameia made advances to him. When he refused her, she told Antigone that he wanted to marry her daughter, causing Antigone to hang herself. Peleus later won the sea nymph Thetis by capture, and all the gods except Eris (the goddess of discord) were invited…
- Astygi (Spain)
Ecija, city, Sevilla provincia (province), in the comunidad autónoma (autonomous community) of Andalusia, southwestern Spain. It lies along the Genil River east of Sevilla. The city contains the Gothic-style Church of Santiago (15th century) and that of Santa Cruz on the site of a pre-Moorish
- Astylosterninae (amphibian subfamily)
frog and toad: Annotated classification: …2 subfamilies: Arthroleptinae (Africa) and Astylosterninae (Africa). Family Dendrobatidae (poison frogs) No fossil record; 8 presacral vertebrae; pectoral girdle completely firmisternal; intercalary cartilages absent; omosternum present; Bidder’s organ absent; maxillary teeth present or absent. Larvae carried on backs of adults; Central and South America; 9 genera, about 162 species; adult
- ASU (political party, Egypt)
Egypt: Government and society: …Union in 1957—from 1962 the Arab Socialist Union (ASU)—which dominated political life in Egypt for the next 15 years. An interim constitution was promulgated in 1964.
- Asuka (ancient site, Japan)
Japanese art: Asuka period: It is named for the Asuka area at the southern end of the Nara (Yamato) Basin (a few miles to the south of the present-day city of Nara), which was the political and cultural centre of the country at the time. From there, the imperial court—which claimed lineage from the…
- Asuka period (Japanese history)
Asuka period, in Japanese history and art, the era from 552 to 645 ce, which began with the introduction of Buddhism from Korea and culminated in the adoption of a Chinese pattern of government. Initially opposed by conservative clans, Buddhism found favour with the powerful Soga family, which
- Asunción (national capital, Paraguay)
Asunción, city and capital of Paraguay, occupying a promontory and descending to the Paraguay River near its confluence with the Pilcomayo. The city lies 175 feet (53 metres) above sea level. The city was so named when a stockade was completed there on the Feast of the Assumption (August 15) in
- Asunción, La (Venezuela)
La Asunción, city, capital of Nueva Esparta estado (state), northeastern Venezuela. It is located on Margarita Island in the Caribbean Sea, 12 miles (19 km) off the mainland. Lying in a fertile inland valley in the eastern portion of the island, La Asunción was first settled by Spaniards in 1524.
- Asunción, National University of (university, Asunción, Paraguay)
Paraguay: Education: The two oldest universities—the public National University of Asunción (1890) and the private Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic University (1960)—are located in Asunción, with branches in other towns. Those universities also have specialty schools for engineering, medicine, agriculture, business, and veterinary science. Since the 1990s, the number of private…
- Asunción, Treaty of (South America [1991])
Mercosur: …created in 1991 by the Treaty of Asunción, which was signed by the heads of state of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Several other countries were later admitted as associate members, and in 2006 the presidents of the four member countries approved full membership for Venezuela, though its final ascent…
- asura (Hindu mythology)
asura, in Hindu mythology, class of beings defined by their opposition to the devas or suras (gods). The term asura appears first in the Vedas, a collection of poems and hymns composed 1500–1200 bce, and refers to a human or divine leader. Its plural form gradually predominated and came to
- Asurbanipal (king of Assyria)
Ashurbanipal was the last of the great kings of Assyria (reigned 668 to 627 bce), who assembled in Nineveh the first systematically organized library in Mesopotamia and the ancient Middle East. The life of this vigorous ruler of an empire ranging initially from the Persian Gulf to Cilicia, Syria,
- Aśvaghoṣa (Indian philosopher and poet)
Ashvaghosha was a philosopher and poet who is considered India’s greatest poet before Kalidasa (5th century) and the father of Sanskrit drama; he popularized the style of Sanskrit poetry known as kavya. Ashvaghosha was born a Brahman. Legend obscures the man, but it is known that he was an
- ASVT (materials science)
materials science: Materials for ground transportation: …Canada, in a program entitled aluminum structured vehicle technology (ASVT), began to investigate the construction of automobile unibodies from adhesively bonded aluminum sheet. The plastics industry, of course, has a powerful interest in replacing as many metal automobile components as possible, and in order to help bring this about a…
- Asvyeyskaye, Lake (lake, Belarus)
Belarus: Drainage: …the largest lakes are Narach, Osveyskoye, and Drysvyaty.
- aśwamedha (Hinduism)
ashvamedha, grandest of the Vedic religious rites of ancient India, performed by a king to celebrate his paramountcy. The ceremony is described in detail in various Vedic writings, particularly the Shatapatha Brahmana. An especially fine stallion was selected and was allowed to roam freely for a
- Aswān (governorate, Egypt)
Aswān, muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Upper Egypt, embracing the Nile River floodplain and immediately adjacent territories. Long and narrow in shape, it is the most southerly Egyptian governorate along the Nile; its short southern boundary forms part of the international frontier with Sudan. The
- Aswān (Egypt)
Aswān, city, capital of Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile River just below the First Cataract. It faces the island of Elephantine (modern Jazīrat Aswān), on which stand the ruins of the ancient city of Yeb. Aswān was the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt. Its
- Aswān Dam (dam, Egypt)
Nile River: Dams and reservoirs: The first dam at Aswān was constructed between 1899 and 1902; it has a series of four locks to allow navigation. The dam has twice been enlarged—first between 1908 and 1911 and again between 1929 and 1934—thus raising the water level and increasing the dam’s capacity. It is also…
- Aswan High Dam (dam, Egypt)
Aswan High Dam, rock-fill dam across the Nile River at Aswān, Egypt, completed in 1970 (and formally inaugurated in January 1971) at a cost of about $1 billion. The Aswan High Dam yields enormous benefits to the economy of Egypt. For the first time in history, the annual Nile flood is under human
- Aswān, Jazīrat (island, Egypt)
Elephantine, island in the Nile opposite Aswān city in Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), Upper Egypt. Elephantine is the Greek name for pharaonic Abu. There the 18th- and 19th-dynasty pharaohs built a large temple to Khnum, the ram god of the cataract region, to his consort, Sati, and to Anuket,
- ASWPL (American organization)
Jessie Daniel Ames: …the CIC, Ames founded the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching (ASWPL) in 1930. She fought to dispel the widely accepted myth that white women needed protection from African American men. She pointed out that the rape of white women by African American men, which was the…
- ASX (Australian organization)
Australia: Finance: …are now traded by the Australian Stock Exchange Limited (ASX), formed in 1987 to amalgamate the six state stock exchanges, via an all-electronic system.
- Ašxarhabar (language)
Armenian language: …Modern Armenian, or Ašxarhabar (Ashkharhabar). Modern Armenian embraces two written varieties—Western Armenian (Arewmtahayerên) and Eastern Armenian (Arewelahayerên)—and many dialects are spoken. About 50 dialects were known before 1915, when the Armenian population of Turkey was drastically reduced by means of massacre and forced exodus; some of these dialects were…
- asylum (law)
asylum, in international law, the protection granted by a state to a foreign citizen against his own state. The person for whom asylum is established has no legal right to demand it, and the sheltering state has no obligation to grant it. The right of asylum falls into three basic categories:
- Asylum Records (American record company)
Asylum Records and the Sound of Southern California: The driving force behind Asylum Records, the musical embodiment of the “Me Decade” (writer Tom Wolfe’s characterization of the 1970s), was New York City-born David Geffen, who nurtured most of the major figures in the wave of singer-songwriters who followed Bob Dylan’s lead. Having learned…
- Asylum Records and the Sound of Southern California
The driving force behind Asylum Records, the musical embodiment of the “Me Decade” (writer Tom Wolfe’s characterization of the 1970s), was New York City-born David Geffen, who nurtured most of the major figures in the wave of singer-songwriters who followed Bob Dylan’s lead. Having learned the
- asymmetric cryptosystem (cryptology)
public-key cryptography, asymmetric form of cryptography in which the transmitter of a message and its recipient use different keys (codes), thereby eliminating the need for the sender to transmit the code and risk its interception. It is commonly used in cryptocurrency transactions. In 1976, in
- asymmetric digital subscriber line (networking technology)
computer: Communication devices: Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modems can be used for transmitting digital signals over a local dedicated telephone line, provided there is a telephone office nearby—in theory, within 5,500 meters (18,000 feet) but in practice about a third of that distance. ADSL is asymmetric because…
- asymmetric encryption (cryptology)
public-key cryptography, asymmetric form of cryptography in which the transmitter of a message and its recipient use different keys (codes), thereby eliminating the need for the sender to transmit the code and risk its interception. It is commonly used in cryptocurrency transactions. In 1976, in
- asymmetric organocatalysis (chemical process)
Benjamin List: …Chemistry for his work on asymmetric organocatalysis. He shared the prize with British chemist David MacMillan.
- asymmetric relation (of a relation)
formal logic: Classification of dyadic relations: …ϕ is said to be asymmetrical (example: “is greater than”). A relation that is neither symmetrical nor asymmetrical is said to be nonsymmetrical. Thus, ϕ is nonsymmetrical if (∃x)(∃y)(ϕxy · ϕyx) · (∃x)(∃y)(ϕxy · ∼ϕyx) (example: “loves”).
- asymmetric synthesis (chemical reaction)
asymmetric synthesis, any chemical reaction that affects the structural symmetry in the molecules of a compound, converting the compound into unequal proportions of compounds that differ in the dissymmetry of their structures at the affected centre. Such reactions usually involve organic compounds
- asymmetrical fold (geology)
fold: An asymmetrical fold is one in which the axial plane is inclined. An overturned fold, or overfold, has the axial plane inclined to such an extent that the strata on one limb are overturned. A recumbent fold has an essentially horizontal axial plane. When the two…
- asymmetrical information (economics)
George A. Akerlof: …Akerlof explained how private or asymmetric information prevents markets from functioning efficiently and examined the consequences. He suggested that many economic institutions had emerged in the market in order to protect themselves from the consequences of adverse selection, including secondhand-car dealers who offered guarantees to increase consumer confidence. In the…
- asymmetrical knot (carpet-making)
rug and carpet: Materials and technique: The Persian, or asymmetrical, knot is used principally in Iran, India, China, and Egypt. This knot was formerly known as the Senneh (Sehna) knot. The Spanish knot, used mainly in Spain, differs from the other two types in looping around only one warp yarn. After the…
- asymmetrical parallel bars (gymnastics)
uneven parallel bars, gymnastics apparatus developed in the 1930s and used in women’s competition. The length and construction are the same as for the parallel bars used in men’s gymnastics. The top bar is 2.4 meters (7.8 feet) above the floor, while the lower bar is 1.65 meters (5.4 feet) high.
- asymmetrical relation (of a relation)
formal logic: Classification of dyadic relations: …ϕ is said to be asymmetrical (example: “is greater than”). A relation that is neither symmetrical nor asymmetrical is said to be nonsymmetrical. Thus, ϕ is nonsymmetrical if (∃x)(∃y)(ϕxy · ϕyx) · (∃x)(∃y)(ϕxy · ∼ϕyx) (example: “loves”).
- asymmetrical warfare
asymmetrical warfare, unconventional strategies and tactics adopted by a force when the military capabilities of belligerent powers are not simply unequal but are so significantly different that they cannot make the same sorts of attacks on each other. Guerrilla warfare, occurring between lightly
- Asymmetron (invertebrate genus)
amphioxus: …Amphioxus) and Epigonichthyes (also called Asymmetron)—with about two dozen species. The chordate features—the notochord (or stiffening rod), gill slits, and dorsal nerve cord—appear in the larvae and persist into adulthood.
- asymmetry (physics)
life: The earliest living systems: …chance, but, once a particular asymmetry was established, it maintained itself. Optical activity accordingly is likely to be a feature of life on any planet. The chances may be equal of finding a given organic molecule or its mirror image in extraterrestrial life-forms if, as Morowitz suspects, the incorporation of…
- asymmetry (of a relation)
formal logic: Classification of dyadic relations: …ϕ is said to be asymmetrical (example: “is greater than”). A relation that is neither symmetrical nor asymmetrical is said to be nonsymmetrical. Thus, ϕ is nonsymmetrical if (∃x)(∃y)(ϕxy · ϕyx) · (∃x)(∃y)(ϕxy · ∼ϕyx) (example: “loves”).
- asymptote (mathematics)
asymptote, In mathematics, a line or curve that acts as the limit of another line or curve. For example, a descending curve that approaches but does not reach the horizontal axis is said to be asymptotic to that axis, which is the asymptote of the
- asymptotic freedom (physics)
subatomic particle: Asymptotic freedom: In the early 1970s the American physicists David J. Gross and Frank Wilczek (working together) and H. David Politzer (working independently) discovered that the strong force between quarks becomes weaker at smaller distances and that it becomes stronger as the quarks move apart,…
- asymptotic growth (biology)
mammal: Skin and hair: Hairs with determinate growth are subject to wear and must be replaced periodically—a process termed molt. The first coat of a young mammal is referred to as the juvenal pelage, which typically is of fine texture like the underfur of adults and is replaced by a postjuvenile…
- asynchronous DSL (networking technology)
computer: Communication devices: Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) modems can be used for transmitting digital signals over a local dedicated telephone line, provided there is a telephone office nearby—in theory, within 5,500 meters (18,000 feet) but in practice about a third of that distance. ADSL is asymmetric because…
- asynchronous pacemaker (medical device)
pacemaker: …were of a type called asynchronous, or fixed, and they generated regular discharges that overrode the natural pacemaker. The rate of an asynchronous pacemaker may be altered by the physician, but once set it will continue to generate an electric pulse at regular intervals. Most are set at 70 to…
- asynchronous transfer mode (communications)
Lawrence Roberts: …produced networking equipment using the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocol. In 1993 he became president of ATM Systems. However, ATM was eventually supplanted by networking devices using Internet Protocol (IP), and he left ATM Systems in 1998.
- asynchrony (psychology)
gifted child: …late 20th century, the term asynchrony was used to describe the developmental characteristics of gifted children; that is, their mental, physical, emotional, and social abilities may all develop at different paces.