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Kelvin, William Thomson, 1st Baron

(Encyclopedia)Kelvin, William Thomson, 1st Baron, 1824–1907, British mathematician and physicist, b. Belfast. He was professor of natural philosophy at the Univ. of Glasgow (1846–99). He is known especially for...

liquid air

(Encyclopedia)liquid air, ordinary air that has been liquefied by compression and cooling to extremely low temperatures (see liquefaction). Its commercial preparation involves purification by washing to remove solu...

thermometer

(Encyclopedia)thermometer, instrument for measuring temperature. Galileo and Sanctorius devised thermometers consisting essentially of a bulb with a tubular projection, the open end of which was immersed in a liqui...

gunpowder

(Encyclopedia)gunpowder, explosive mixture; its most common formula, called “black powder,” is a combination of saltpeter, sulfur, and carbon in the form of charcoal. Historically, the relative amounts of the c...

torque

(Encyclopedia)torque, in physics, that which tends to change the rate of rotation of a body; also called the moment of force. The torque produced by rotating parts of an electric motor or internal-combustion engine...

low-temperature physics

(Encyclopedia)low-temperature physics, science concerned with the production and maintenance of temperatures much below normal, down to almost absolute zero, and with various phenomena that occur only at such tempe...

enamelware

(Encyclopedia)enamelware, utensils having a metal foundation and a coating of special glass, called porcelain enamel, applied by fusion. The porcelain enamel, or vitreous enamel, is applied to make the utensils cor...

Fourier, Jean Baptiste Joseph, Baron

(Encyclopedia)Fourier, Jean Baptiste Joseph, Baron, 1768–1830, French mathematician and physicist. He was noted for his researches on heat and on numerical equations. He originated Fourier's theorem on vibratory ...

Kyustendil

(Encyclopedia)Kyustendil kyo͝ostĕndēlˈ [key], city (1993 pop. 54,452), SW Bulgaria, near the Serbian border. Famous for its mineral springs used to heat hothouses, Kyustendil is a market city for fruit and othe...

bungalow

(Encyclopedia)bungalow [Indian bangla,=house], dwelling built in a style developed from that of a form of rural house in India. The original bungalow typically has one story, few rooms, and a maximum of cross draft...