17-letter words containing c, o, d, e, a, t
- fractal dimension — (mathematics) A common type of fractal dimension is the Hausdorff-Besicovich Dimension, but there are several different ways of computing fractal dimension. Fractal dimension can be calculated by taking the limit of the quotient of the log change in object size and the log change in measurement scale, as the measurement scale approaches zero. The differences come in what is exactly meant by "object size" and what is meant by "measurement scale" and how to get an average number out of many different parts of a geometrical object. Fractal dimensions quantify the static *geometry* of an object. For example, consider a straight line. Now blow up the line by a factor of two. The line is now twice as long as before. Log 2 / Log 2 = 1, corresponding to dimension 1. Consider a square. Now blow up the square by a factor of two. The square is now 4 times as large as before (i.e. 4 original squares can be placed on the original square). Log 4 / log 2 = 2, corresponding to dimension 2 for the square. Consider a snowflake curve formed by repeatedly replacing ___ with _/\_, where each of the 4 new lines is 1/3 the length of the old line. Blowing up the snowflake curve by a factor of 3 results in a snowflake curve 4 times as large (one of the old snowflake curves can be placed on each of the 4 segments _/\_). Log 4 / log 3 = 1.261... Since the dimension 1.261 is larger than the dimension 1 of the lines making up the curve, the snowflake curve is a fractal. [sci.fractals FAQ].
- full load current — A full load current is the largest current that a motor or other device is designed to carry under particular conditions.
- further education — adult education.
- good-time charlie — an affable, sociable, pleasure-loving man.
- grandfather clock — a pendulum floor clock having a case as tall as or taller than a person; tall-case clock; long-case clock.
- grandmother clock — a pendulum clock similar to a grandfather's clock but shorter.
- grignard reaction — the reaction of a Grignard reagent with any of the numerous types of compounds with which it can combine, as alcohols, acids, aldehydes, ketones, or esters: used chiefly in organic synthesis.
- grooved fricative — a fricative, as (s), in which air is channeled through a groove along the center of the tongue.
- haemorrhoidectomy — surgical removal of haemorrhoids
- henry cabot lodge — Henry Cabot, 1850–1924, U.S. public servant and author: senator 1893–1924.
- heptanedioic acid — pimelic acid.
- heterochlamydeous — (of a plant) having a perianth consisting of distinct sepals and petals
- historical method — the process of establishing general facts and principles through attention to chronology and to the evolution or historical course of what is being studied.
- hold all the aces — If you say that someone holds all the aces, you mean that they have all the advantages in a contest or situation.
- homeland security — national defence
- homogentisic acid — an intermediate compound in the metabolism of tyrosine and of phenylalanine, found in excess in the blood and urine of persons affected with alkaptonuria.
- hydroelectrically — Using hydroelectric power.
- hydrotherapeutics — hydrotherapy.
- icositetrahedrons — Plural form of icositetrahedron.
- ideogrammatically — In terms of, or by means of, ideograms.
- in the background — behind the focus of attention
- inconsiderateness — without due regard for the rights or feelings of others: It was inconsiderate of him to keep us waiting.
- incubation period — the period between infection and the appearance of signs of a disease.
- indian rope-trick — the supposed Indian feat of climbing an unsupported rope
- indicator species — See at indicator (def 6).
- indicial equation — an equation that is obtained from a given linear differential equation and that indicates whether a solution in power series form exists for the differential equation.
- indirect taxation — duty paid on goods or services
- indoleacetic acid — a crystalline, water-insoluble powder, C 10 H 9 NO 2 , a natural plant hormone, used especially for stimulating growth and root formation in plant cutting.
- induction furnace — a type of electric furnace used for melting a charge of scrap by the heat produced by its own electrical resistance.
- induction heating — a method of heating a conducting material, as metal in a furnace, by using electromagnetic induction to establish a current in the material.
- integrated course — a course that covers several subjects
- integrated optics — an assembly of miniature optical elements of a size comparable to those used in electronic integrated circuits.
- integrated school — (in New Zealand) a private or church school that has joined the state school system
- interactive video — a computer-optical disk system that displays still or moving video images as determined by computer program and user needs
- intercommunicated — Simple past tense and past participle of intercommunicate.
- knock on the head — to daze or kill (a person) by striking on the head
- leading indicator — A leading indicator is an economic indicator that changes before a change in the economy, and that can be used to predict future economic or financial activity.
- legal aid society — an organization providing free legal guidance and service to persons who cannot afford a lawyer.
- liberal democrats — (in Britain) a political party with centrist policies; established in 1988 as the Social and Liberal Democrats when the Liberal Party merged with the Social Democratic Party; renamed Liberal Democrats in 1989
- liberal education — an education based primarily on the liberal arts, emphasizing the development of intellectual abilities as opposed to the acquisition of professional skills.
- load displacement — the weight, in long tons, of a cargo vessel loaded so that the summer load line touches the surface of the water.
- maintained school — a school financially supported by the state
- maintenance order — a court order stating that a divorced or legally separated man or woman must pay his or her former partner a regular sum in order to cover the costs of living
- majority decision — a decision supported by more than half the people involved
- managing director — manager who oversees a project
- manufactured home — a prefabricated house, assembled in modular sections.
- merchant of death — a company, nation, or person that sells military arms on the international market, usually to the highest bidder and without scruple or regard for political ramifications.
- metaperiodic acid — the crystalline compound HIO4, an oxyacid of iodine
- method invocation — (programming) In object-oriented programming, the way the program looks up the right code to run when a method with a given name is called ("invoked") on an object. The method is first looked for in the object's class, then that class's superclass and so on up the class hierarchy until a method with the given name is found (the name is "resolved"). Generally, method lookup cannot be performed at compile time because the object's class is not known until run time. This is the case for an object method whereas a class method is just an ordinary function (that is bundled with a given class) and can be resolved at compile time (or load time in the case of a dynamically loaded library).
- mexican stand-off — A Mexican stand-off is a situation in which neither of the people or groups in a conflict or dispute can win and neither wants to give in first.