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bicycle racing

(Encyclopedia)bicycle racing or cycling, an internationally popular sport conducted on closed courses or the open road. Track racing takes place at a velodrome, usually a banked 1,093.6 ft (.333 km) oval. Olympic m...

mining

(Encyclopedia)mining, extraction of solid mineral resources from the earth. These resources include ores, which contain commercially valuable amounts of metals, such as iron and aluminum; precious stones, such as d...

digital-to-analog conversion

(Encyclopedia)digital-to-analog or D/A conversion, the process of changing discrete digital data into a continuously varying signal in relation to a standard or reference. There are two types of converters: electro...

Mazandaran

(Encyclopedia)Mazandaran dĕränˈ [key], province (1991 pop. 3,793,149), c.20,400 sq mi (52,840 sq km), N Iran, bordering the Caspian Sea in the north. Sari is the capital; other cities include Babol, Amul, and Go...

bolometer

(Encyclopedia)bolometer bōlŏmˈətər, bə– [key], instrument for detecting and measuring radiation, e.g., visible light, infrared radiation, and ultraviolet radiation, in amounts as small as one millionth of a...

spring, in mechanics

(Encyclopedia)spring, in mechanics, any of several elastic devices used variously to store and to furnish energy, to absorb shock, to sustain the pressure between contacting surfaces, and to resist tensional or com...

Tanintharyi

(Encyclopedia)Tanintharyi tĕnăsˈərĭm [key], region (1983 pop. 917,628), 21,297 sq mi (55,159 sq km), extreme S Myanmar. Dawei (Tavoy), the capital, and Myeik (Mergui) are the chief towns. A narrow strip of coa...

Shamir, Yitzhak

(Encyclopedia)Shamir, Yitzhak yētzˈäk shämērˈ [key], 1915–2012, Zionist activist and Israeli politician, b. Poland. Emigrating (1935) to Palestine, he was twice arrested by the British for participating in ...

American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters

(Encyclopedia)American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, honorary academy of notable American artists, writers, and composers. The National Institute of Arts and Letters, founded in 1898, served as the par...

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