From
A (a physics symbol for ampere) to
Z (the physics symbol for impedance), the
Dictionary of Science covers more than 7,000 terms for scientific disciplines that span acoustics, archeology, and cryogenics to gynecology, tectonics, and zoology.
Flux is defined, both for smelting and soldering, as is the
f-stop of cameras and telescopes, the
flystrike caused in sheep by blowfly maggots, the
fluvioglacial process associated with glacial meltwater, and the parasitic
fluke that plagues the livers of sheep, cattle, horses, dogs, and humans. There are entries on the
Mariana Trench and
marijuana,
positrons and
post-coital contraception,
strychnine,
stupors,
stutters,
subatomic particles, and the
subconscious.
The illustrations, more than 450 of them, are particularly helpful. A diagram of the knee joint identifies ligament and cartilage, patella and femur, not to mention the synovial membrane and gastrocnemius, while another illustration clarifies the Internet process, from user computer to modem to Internet Service Provider Hub to the Internet itself, and the diagram of the water cycle shows the whole water process, from groundwater flow, through evaporation and vapor transport, to precipitation and surface runoff. Useful for students, researchers, and science aficionados, the dictionary is up to date, and the language used in the definitions is clear, accurate, and accessible. --Stephanie Gold
Webster's New World(TM) Dictionary of Science is the most comprehensive desktop reference to the vast world of science. Over 7,000 entries cover the spectrum of scientific disciplines-from acoustics to zoology. These entries are drawn from the most up-to-date database in the world, ensuring cutting edge information. More than 450 illustrations and diagrams make difficult concepts, processes, and structures crystal clear.
* Chronologies provide handy timelines of discovery and invention.
* Great Experiments and Discoveries essays deliver in-depth discussions.
* Focus Feature articles cover newsworthy topics by experts in their fields
* Select quotations from famous scientists impart their insights about science.
* Fact boxes reveal fascinating tidbits of little-known science.
acousticsergonomicsmineralogyanatomyethnologyoceanographyanthropologyethologyornithologyarcheologyeugenicsorthopedicsastronomyevolutionpaleontologybiologyforensic scienceparapsychologybotanyforestrypathologycalculusgeographyphysicschemistrygeologyphysiologyclimatologygeometrypsychologycryogenicsgeriatricsseismologycryptographygynecologyspeleologycyberneticshistologytectonicsdieteticshomeopathytopologyecologyhydrologytoxicologyelectronicskineticstrigonometryengineeringmathematicsultrasonicsentomologymetallurgyzoologymeteorology... and moreIdeal for students, researchers, and science enthusiasts.