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Buckingham, George Villiers, 2d duke of

(Encyclopedia)Buckingham, George Villiers, 2d duke of, 1628–87, English courtier; son of the 1st duke. Brought up with the royal family and educated at Cambridge, he was a strong royalist in the English civil war...

photoelectric cell

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Photoelectric cell: Light causes a photosensitive surface to emit electrons, which flow as current to the positive terminal. A galvanometer measures the current and thus indicates light intensi...

blast furnace

(Encyclopedia)CE5 Blast furnace for production of iron blast furnace, structure used chiefly in smelting. The principle involved in this means of extracting metals is that of the reduction of the ores by the ac...

mechanics

(Encyclopedia)mechanics, branch of physics concerned with motion and the forces that tend to cause it; it includes study of the mechanical properties of matter, such as density, elasticity, and viscosity. Mechanics...

meson

(Encyclopedia)meson mēˈzŏn [key] [Gr.,=middle (i.e., middleweight)], class of elementary particles whose masses are generally between those of the lepton class of lighter particles and those of the baryon class ...

magic, in religion and superstition

(Encyclopedia)magic, in religion and superstition, the practice of manipulating and controlling the course of nature by preternatural means. Magic is based upon the belief that the universe is populated by unseen f...

mass, in physics

(Encyclopedia)mass, in physics, the quantity of matter in a body regardless of its volume or of any forces acting on it. The term should not be confused with weight, which is the measure of the force of gravity (se...

Santa Anna, Antonio López de

(Encyclopedia)Santa Anna, Antonio López de äntōˈnyō lōˈpās dā sänˈtä äˈnä [key], 1794–1876, Mexican general and politician. He fought in the royalist army, but later joined Iturbide in the struggle...

recognition

(Encyclopedia)recognition, acknowledgment of the admission of new states into the international community by political action of states that are already members. Its derivation is found in the policy of the older E...

Navigation Acts

(Encyclopedia)Navigation Acts, in English history, name given to certain parliamentary legislation, more properly called the British Acts of Trade. The acts were an outgrowth of mercantilism, and followed principle...