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hardness

(Encyclopedia)hardness, property of matter commonly described as the resistance of a substance to being scratched by another substance. The degree of hardness is relative, different substances being compared with o...

alum

(Encyclopedia)alum ălˈəm [key], any one of a series of isomorphous double salts that are hydrated sulfates of a univalent cation (e.g., potassium, sodium, ammonium, cesium, or thallium) and a trivalent cation (e...

United States Naval Observatory

(Encyclopedia)United States Naval Observatory, a federal astronomical observatory, located in Washington, D. C. It evolved from the Navy's oldest scientific institution, the Depot of Charts and Instruments, founded...

gallium

(Encyclopedia)gallium gălˈēəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol Ga; at. no. 31; at. wt. 69.723; m.p. 29.78℃; b.p. 2,403℃; sp. gr. 5.904 at 29.6℃ (solid), 6.095 at 29.8℃ (liquid); valence +2 or +3...

rubidium

(Encyclopedia)rubidium ro͞obĭdˈēəm [key], metallic chemical element; symbol Rb; at. no. 37; at. wt. 85.4678; m.p. 38.89℃; b.p. 686℃; sp. gr. 1.53 at 20℃; valence +1. Rubidium is a very soft silver-white ...

metal

(Encyclopedia)metal, chemical element displaying certain properties by which it is normally distinguished from a nonmetal, notably its metallic luster, the capacity to lose electrons and form a positive ion, and th...

Elements (table)

(Encyclopedia)Elements 1 Parentheses indicate most stable isotope; brackets enclose lower and upper bounds of weight variation. ...

television

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Video transmission and reception of color and black-and-white television: The camera lens focuses collected light rays into mirrors, which separate the image into its three primary color compon...

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