17-letter words containing c, o, d, e, n
- 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].
- frames per second — (unit) (fps) The unit of measurement of the frame rate of a moving image.
- french somaliland — a former name of Djibouti (def 1).
- 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.
- giovanni demedici — Catherine de', Catherine de Médicis.
- 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.
- green book cd-rom — A standard CD-ROM format developed by Philips for CD-i. It is ISO 9660 compliant and uses mode 2 form 2 addressing. It can only be played on drives which are XA (Extended Architecture) compatible. Many Green Book discs contain CD-i applications which can only be played on a CD-i player but many others contain films or music videos. Video CDs in Green Book format are normally labelled "Digital Video on CD" Green Book was obsoleted by White book CD-ROM in March 1994.
- greensand process — a process for casting iron with sand not previously heated.
- 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.
- ground connection — the conductor used to establish a ground.
- half-round chisel — a cold chisel with a semicircular cutting edge used for making narrow channels
- hall of residence — Halls of residence are buildings with rooms or flats, usually built by universities or colleges, in which students live during the term.
- henry cabot lodge — Henry Cabot, 1850–1924, U.S. public servant and author: senator 1893–1924.
- heptanedioic acid — pimelic acid.
- hexacosanoic acid — cerotic acid.
- hexadecanoic acid — palmitic acid.
- holistic medicine — incorporating the concept of holism, or the idea that the whole is more than merely the sum of its parts, in theory or practice: holistic psychology.
- hollandaise sauce — a sauce of egg yolks, butter, lemon juice, and seasonings.
- 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.
- hornblende schist — a variety of schist containing needles of hornblende that lie in parallel planes.
- houndstooth check — a pattern of broken checks, used in woven material for jackets, shirts, etc.
- hydrogen chloride — a colorless gas, HCl, having a pungent odor: the anhydride of hydrochloric acid.
- hypodermic needle — a hollow needle used to inject solutions subcutaneously.
- icosidodecahedron — A semiregular polyhedron with twelve faces that are regular pentagons and twenty that are equilateral triangles.
- icositetrahedrons — Plural form of icositetrahedron.
- identity function — identity (def 9d).
- identity politics — political activity or movements based on or catering to the cultural, ethnic, gender, racial, religious, or social interests that characterize a group identity.
- immunocompromised — having an impaired or compromised immune response; immunodeficient.
- 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.
- indecent exposure — the intentional exposure of one's body's privates in a manner that gives offense against accepted or prescribed behavior.
- 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 question — An indirect question is the same as a reported question.
- 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.
- injection molding — a method of forming thermoplastic or thermoset plastic, metal, or ceramic material by injection into a closed mold.
- 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.
- job-order costing — a method of cost accounting by which the total cost of a given unit or quantity is determined by computing the costs that go into making a product as it moves through the manufacturing process.