Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

500 results found

Reykjavík

(Encyclopedia)Reykjavík rāˈkyävēk, rāˈkävēk [key], city (1993 pop. 101,824), capital of Iceland, SW Iceland, on the Faxaflói. It is the center of the cod-fishing industry and the chief commercial and indu...

Bandung

(Encyclopedia)Bandung or Bandoeng both: bänˈdo͞ong [key], city (2020 pop. 2,444,160), capital of Java Barat prov., W Java, ...

videodisc

(Encyclopedia)videodisc or videodisk, disk used with a special player and television to reproduce both pictures and sound. A videodisc player cannot record television programs off the air for later playback, unlike...

ethylene

(Encyclopedia)ethylene ĕthˈēn [key], H2C=CH2, a gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbon. It is the simplest alkene. Ethylene is colorless, has a faint odor, and has a slightly sweet taste; it melts at −169.4℃ and bo...

tung oil

(Encyclopedia)tung oil, oil obtained from the seeds of a tropical tree, the tung tree (Aleurites fordii) of the spurge family, and from seeds of some related species, all from Indomalesia or W Pacifica. It is known...

ultrasound

(Encyclopedia)ultrasound or sonography, in medicine, technique that uses sound waves to study and treat hard-to-reach body areas. In scanning with ultrasound, high-frequency sound waves are transmitted to the area ...

hydrogen peroxide

(Encyclopedia)hydrogen peroxide, chemical compound, H2O2, a colorless, syrupy liquid that is a strong oxidizing agent and, in water solution, a weak acid. It is miscible with cold water and is soluble in alcohol an...

synapse

(Encyclopedia)synapse sĭnˈăps [key], junction between various signal-transmitter cells, either between two neurons or between a neuron and a muscle or gland. A nerve impulse reaches the synapse through the axon,...

buoy

(Encyclopedia)buoy boi, bo͞oˈē [key], float anchored in navigable waters to mark channels and indicate dangers to navigation (isolated rocks, mine fields, cables, and the like). The shape, color, number, and mar...

PET scan

(Encyclopedia)PET scan pŏzˈĭtrŏnˌ ĭmĭshˈən təmŏgˈrəfē [key], a medical imaging technique that monitors metabolic, or biochemical, activity in the brain and other organs by tracking the movement and co...

Browse by Subject