General Topics
- 1e12
- One trillion.
- 1e15
- One quadrillion.
- 1e18
- One quintillion.
- 1e21
- One sextillion.
- 1e3
- One thousand
- 1e6
- One million.
- 1e9
- One billion.
- 2.17987190e-18 J
- Rydberg Constant multiplied by Plancks constant and the speed of light.
- 24 Hour Clock
- The convention of time keeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours numbered from 0 to 23.
- a
- Prefix representing a multiplication of 10-18
- Abort
- To terminate or stop a process prematurely.
- About Us
- We are a small consultancy formed from a group of people with very different skills in engineering, physics and software engineering.
- Abrasive Cleaner
- A cleanser with some hard grit used to remove the grime and oils from a surface.
- Absolute Error
- The uncertainty in a measurement, expressed with appropriate units.
- Absolute Measurement
- A measurement made without a direct reference to a second signal or measurement.
- ac in
- Abbreviation of acre inch, a volume one inch deep covering an area of one acre.
- ac
- Abbreviation of acre.
- AD
- Abbreviation of Anno Domini.
- Admiralty Mile
- Equal to 1852m.
- Aft
- The back of a vessel.
- Air Gap
- The distance between two parts with air as the medium between the two parts.
- Altitude
- Height in space of an object or point relative to sea level or ground level.
- am
- Abbreviation of attometre a distance of 10-18m.
- Ambiguity
- The properties of something that allow it to have more than one possible meaning.
- Anno Domini
- Latin for "year of the Lord," the traditional designation for years of the common or Christian era.
- Anthropogenic
- Resulting from or produced by human beings.
- Architect
- A person who designs all kinds of structures.
- Arithmetic Operators
- Symbols and signs used in mathematics.
- as
- Abbreviation of attosecond a time of 10-18seconds.
- Assembly
- A unit made from many parts. May refer to a molecule, machine tool, or any grouping of objects to form a larger entity.
- Atomus
- Latin word used in medieval times to mean "a twinkling of the eye", the smallest amount of time imaginable, defined in a precise way as 1/376 minute.
- attosecond
- A time of 10-18seconds.
- Backup
- An item kept available to replace an item which fails to perform satisfactorily.
- Baker′s Dozen
- Thirteen pieces of something.
- Balthazar
- The name of a wine bottle equivalent to the volume of 16 standard bottles or 12 litres.
- Barrique
- A large French wine barrel holding 225 litres.
- Bearing
- Primarily two types, rolling element and sleeve or plain bearing.
- bell
- Traditional unit of time used on ships. There are 8 bells in one watch of 4 hours.
- Bicron
- Obsolete unit of distance referencing the double prefix micron-micron and equal to 10-12m.
- bil
- Abbreviation of billion, a number equal to 109.
- Billion
- A number equal to 109.
- Bimester
- A unit of time equal to 2 months.
- Bimillennium
- Unit of time equal to 2000 years.
- Binary
- Pertaining to a characteristic that involves the selection, choice, or condition in which there are only two possibilities.
- Blind Experiment
- The subjects do not know whether they are in the treatment group or the control group.
- Blunder
- A gross mistake caused by carelessness or poor judgement.
- Boiler Suit
- Heavy-duty one-piece protective clothing.
- Bolt of Cloth
- A standard unit of length used in the fabric industry.
- Bottle
- A unit of volume.
- bu
- Abbreviation of Bushel.
- By-Product
- Material, other than the principal product, generated as a consequence of an industrial process or as a breakdown product in a living system.
- Canal
- An artificial channel of water used by boats and originally designed for the transportation of goods.
- Capacity
- The maximum amount that can be obtained.
- Cardinal Points
- North, South, East and West are known as the Cardinal Points.
- Cause and Effect Diagram
- Also known as Fish Bone Diagram.
- CE mark
- A mandatory conformance mark on many products placed on the market in the European Economic Area.
- CE
- Abbreviation of Common Era.
- Centillion
- A number equal to 10303.
- Centre
- A point or axis around which anything revolves or rotates.
- Century
- One hundred of something.
- ch
- Abbreviation of chain, an old unit of length.
- Character
- A letter, digit, or other symbol that is used as part of the organization, control, or representation of information.
- Ci
- Abbreviation of curie, a unit of radioactivity.
- Civil Engineer
- An engineer who plans, designs, and supervises the construction of facilities essential to modern life.
- Climate Change
- The average global temperature is rising sharply. Humans are contributing to the greenhouse effect by emitting greenhouse gases that trap energy and warm the atmosphere.
- cm3
- Abbreviation of Cubic Centimetre.
- Collateral Points
- North-East, North-West, South-East and South-West are known as the Collateral Points.
- Common Era
- Replaces AD especially in countries where Christianity is not a dominant religion.
- Conversion Factor
- A conversion factor is a fraction that relates one unit to another.
- Core
- Central region.
- Cross Sectional Area
- The area of a slice of an object.
- Cunit
- Measure of wood volume used in forestry equal to 100 cubic feet.
- cy
- Abbreviation of Cubic Yard.
- dam
- Abbreviation of decametre, unit length equal to 10m.
- Data Mile
- Unit of distance used in radar technology. The data mile equals exactly 6000 ft.
- Day
- Traditional unit of time marked by one rotation of the Earth on its axis.
- Decennium
- A unit of time equal to 10 years.
- decilitre
- Abbreviated as dl, unit volume equal to 10-1litre.
- Decillion
- A number equal to 1033.
- dl
- Abbreviation of decilitre, unit volume equal to 10-1litre.
- dm
- Abbreviation of decimetre, unit length equal to 10-1m.
- Dozen
- Twelve pieces of something.
- dpi
- Abbreviation of Dots Per Inch.
- dwt
- Abbreviation of pennyweight.
- Elevation
- Vertical distance of a point on or affixed to the surface of the ground.
- Elevation Angle
- The angle between the horizon and a point above the local horizon in the celestial sphere, measured along the great circle that passes through both the zenith and the point in question.
- Enamel Paint
- A paint which dries to a hard gloss or semi-gloss smooth finish.
- Encapsulated
- Imbedded in solid material or enclosed in glass or metal.
- Engineers
- A list of famous scientists and engineers.
- Environmental Engineer
- An engineer who designs and operates systems to provide safe drinking water and to prevent and control pollution in water, in the air, and on the land.
- Epoch
- The beginning of an era or event or the reference date for a system of measurements.
- Erratic Error
- An error caused by an incomplete element in an instrument.
- Errors
- No measurement is exact, they all contain some degree of errors.
- Experiment
- A process or study that results in the collection of data, the outcome of which is unknown.
- Female Part
- A concave piece of equipment which receives a mating male, convex, part.
- femtosecond
- Abbreviated as fs, unit of time equal to 10-15s.
- Fish Bone Diagram
- Fish bone shaped map of inputs, sub-inputs and root causes.
- fl oz
- Abbreviation of Fluid Ounce.
- fm
- Abbreviation of fathom.
- fm
- Abbreviation of femtometre, unit of length equal to 10-15m.
- fpm
- Abbreviation of Feet per Minute.
- fs
- Abbreviation of femtosecond, unit of time equal to 10-15s.
- Function
- A specific purpose of an entity; its characteristic action.
- fur
- A distance of one-eight of a mile.
- g
- Abbreviation of gram, the CGS unit of mass equal to 10-3kg.
- gal
- Abbreviation of gallon.
- Gantt Chart
- Graph showing steps of plan and durations.
- GMT
- Abbreviation of Greenwich Mean Time, local mean time at the Greenwich meridian.
- Googol
- A number equal to 10100.
- Googolplex
- A number equal to 10googol. Where a googol is 10100.
- Greenwich Mean Time
- Local mean time at the Greenwich meridian.
- Gross
- One hundred and forty four pieces of something.
- Gross Error
- Undetected mistakes that cause a measurement to be very much farther from the mean measurement than other measurements.
- h
- Abbreviation of hour, a unit of time equal to 60 minutes or 3600 seconds in length.
- Half a Dozen
- Six pieces of something.
- Half Century
- Fifty of something.
- Hand
- Unit of measure. Used for measuring the height of a horse.
- Herring Bone Diagram
- Also known as Fish Bone Diagram.
- Hour
- A unit of time equal to 60 minutes or 3600 seconds in length.
- hr
- Abbreviation of hour, a unit of time equal to 60 minutes or 3600 seconds in length.
- Hybrid
- Of mixed origin or composition.
- Inhale
- To take into the lungs by breathing.
- Inherited Error
- The error in initial values used in a computation; especially the error introduced from the previous steps in a step-by-step integration.
- Instant Glue
- More formally known as Cyanoacrylate.
- International Date Line
- The line on the Earth, generally located at 180° longitude, that separates two consecutive calendar days.
- Inventor
- A person who thinks up new ideas or processes.
- Inversely
- Inverted or reversed in position or relationship.
- Inversion
- Referring to something being upside down.
- Invert
- To change a physical or logical state to its opposite state.
- Ishikawa Diagram
- Also known as Fish Bone Diagram.
- ISO Paper Sizes
- A series is mainly used for standard book print and stationery.
- Jeroboam
- The name of a wine bottle equivalent to the volume of 4 standard bottles or 3 litres.
- kCal
- The calorific value of food and values presented on diet sheets are normally in kCal.
- kip
- Abbreviation of kilo pounds force.
- ksi
- Abbreviation for kilo pounds per square inch.
- League
- An old imperial unit of distance.
- Leap Day
- The extra day added to a year to make it have 366 days. Leap days are added on in February creating the 29th day of the month that only exists during leap years.
- Line of Sight
- A straight line between two points.
- Linear Density
- Mass per unit length.
- Local Time
- Time based upon the local meridian as reference, as contrasted with that based upon a zone meridian, or the meridian of Greenwich.
- m3
- SI unit of volume.
- m3s-1
- A unit of flow rate.
- Magnum
- The name of a wine bottle equivalent to the volume of 2 standard bottles or 1.5 litres.
- Mask
- A device used to deposit materials on a substrate in the desired pattern.
- Mcf
- A unit of volume in the oil and gas industry for natural gas and equal to 1000 cubic feet.
- Methuselah
- The name of a wine bottle equivalent to the volume of 8 standard bottles or 6 litres.
- Metric Ton
- Through common usage the 1000kg has been named the Tonne.
- mi
- Abbreviation of mile.
- Microsecond
- One-millionth of a second.
- Millennium
- Unit of time equal to 1000 years.
- Million
- A number equal to 106.
- min
- Abbreviation of minute.
- Mistake
- An error, usually large, resulting from a human failing or an equipment malfunction.
- Model
- A copy of an object that is n times smaller than the fullsize object.
- Monolithic
- An object that is one piece and not composed of several pieces connected together.
- Morse Code
- The International Morse Code used to transmit signals by wire or by radio using short and long duration signals.
- Myria
- Prefix representing a multiplication of 104.
- Myriagram
- A unit of weight equal to ten thousand grams or 10kg.
- Myrialitre
- A unit of volume of ten thousand litres.
- Nato Alphabet
- Used when communicating over the radio to ensure there is no miscommunication of important information.
- Natural Law
- Natural laws summarize patterns that recur in a large amount of data.
- Nautical Chain
- A unit of length equal to 15 feet.
- Nebuchadnezzar
- The name of a wine bottle equivalent to the volume of 20 standard bottles or 15 litres.
- Neutral
- In a normal condition.
- Nomenclature
- A system for naming things.
- Nonillion
- A number equal to 1030.
- Null Experiment
- An experiment which, after being executed, yields no result.
- Octillion
- A number equal to 1027.
- OEM
- Abbreviation of Original Equipment Manufacturer.
- Omni
- Prefix meaning all.
- Omnidirectional
- Every direction.
- Original Equipment Manufacturer
- Products supplied by the company which first created the product.
- Paint
- A generally opaque coating including resin, a solvent and additives.
- Paper Glue
- Many different forms of paper glue, the most common being the solid stick form.
- Parts Per Million by Volume
- Used to describe the amount of a trace element or substance present in the main substance as measured by volume.
- Parts Per Million by Weight
- Used to describe the amount of a trace element or substance present in the main substance as measured by weight.
- Patent
- A document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention.
- Payback Time
- The number of years an improved system must be operated to offset the increased cost of the technology.
- Per Diem
- A traditional unit of frequency equal to once a day.
- Per Mensem
- A traditional unit of frequency equal to once a month.
- Perimeter
- The distance around the outside of a shape.
- Perspective Drawing
- A drawing in which, in order to show perspective, oblique parallel lines will meet.
- Phonetic Alphabet
- Used when communicating over the radio to ensure there is no miscommunication of important information.
- picolitre
- A volume equal to 10-12l.
- Point Type Face
- Unit of measurement for type faces.
- ppmv
- Abbreviation of Parts Per Million by Volume.
- ppmw
- Abbreviation of Parts Per Million by Weight.
- Preventive Maintenance
- Visual, mechanical, electrical, and electronic checks that are made to determine whether or not equipment is functioning properly.
- Protoscience
- In the philosophy of science, a protoscience is any new area of scientific endeavor in the process of becoming established.
- Quad
- Unit of energy equivalent to 1e15 BTU.
- Quadrillion
- A number equal to 1015.
- Quarter
- One of four equal parts. An outdated British unit of weight 1 quarter = 28 pounds (lb).
- Quartet
- A group of four items.
- Quintillion
- A number equal to 1018.
- Random Errors
- Errors that remain after blunders and systematic errors have been removed.
- Ream
- 500 sheets of paper.
- Recycling
- The re-use of material.
- Reference Line
- A line to which other parts of the system are measured.
- Reference Point
- A point to which are other parts of the system are measured.
- Rehoboam
- The name of a wine bottle equivalent to the volume of 6 standard bottles or 4.5 litres.
- Relative Bearing
- Bearing of a target measured in a clockwise direction from "dead ahead".
- Relative Error
- The uncertainty in a measurement compared to the size of the measurement.
- Report
- To document technical, economic and other issues surrounding a particular subject.
- Safety Pin
- A simple pin that clips shut most commonly used to fasten two pieces of fabric.
- Salmanazar
- The name of a wine bottle equivalent to the volume of 12 standard bottles or 9 litres.
- Scientific Method
- An inefficient but highly successful method of knowledge construction based on experimental testing of hypotheses.
- Scientists
- A list of famous scientists and engineers.
- Score
- Twenty pieces of something.
- Seiche
- An oscillation of a fluid body in response to a disturbing force having the same frequency as the natural frequency of the fluid system.
- Septillion
- A number equal to 1024.
- Sextillion
- A number equal to 1021.
- Sextuple
- A group of six items.
- sh cwt
- Abbreviation of Short Hundredweight.
- Shelf Life
- The period of time that a part or system may be stored and still be useful.
- Short Hundredweight
- Old imperial unit of weight, equal to 100lb.
- Short Ream
- A quantity of paper equal to 480 sheets.
- Slant Range
- The direct line-of-sight distance between two objects not necessarily at the same altitude.
- Slot
- A narrow aperture.
- Spectra
- Plural of spectrum.
- SPF
- A rating for lotions used to protect the skin against sunburn.
- Splice
- A joint formed by the connecting of two or more parts.
- Square Mil
- The area of a square, the sides of which are each equal to 1 mil.
- Stability
- The ability to maintain normal characteristics.
- Subassembly
- Consists of two or more parts that form a portion of an assembly or a unit.
- Substrate
- The underlying or base material.
- Sun Protection Factor
- A rating for lotions used to protect the skin against sunburn.
- Sundial
- A device for telling time of day by the shadow which sunlight produces on the instrument.
- Super Glue
- More formally known as Cyanoacrylate.
- System
- A combination of sets, units, assemblies, subassemblies, and parts joined together to form a specific operational function or several functions.
- Systematic Errors
- Cumulative errors that can be compensated for, if the errors are known.
- Tape
- A strip of long, thin, narrow material that may be rolled up.
- Technical Report
- A document that discusses the technical issues of a subject.
- Template
- A pattern to guide the marking or cutting of a shape.
- Tetrad
- Unit of quantity equal to four.
- Tex
- The unit of linear density equal to the mass in grams per 1000 m of fibre, yarn, or other textile strand.
- Theory
- Theories are well-established explanations for experimental data.
- Thousand
- A number equal to 103.
- Time Zones
- The Earth is divided into 24 time zones so that everyone in the world can be on roughly similar schedules.
- Tinstone
- Another name for Cassiterite, a dark coloured mineral that is an important ore of Tin.
- Tithe
- A tenth part of something.
- tnf
- Abbreviation for ton force, 1 tnf=9964.02 N.
- Ton Force
- 1 ton-force = 9964.02 N
- tonf
- Abbreviation for ton force, 1 tonf=9964.02 N.
- tonf in-2
- Abbreviation of Tons per Square Inch.
- toz
- Symbol for the troy ounce.
- Transmission
- Propagation or the passing of something through or onwards.
- Triad
- A unit of quantity equal to three.
- Trillion
- A number equal to 1012.
- Triple
- A group of three items.
- Trouble Tables
- Tables of trouble symptoms and probable causes, furnished by many manufacturers to help technicians isolate problems.
- Troubleshooting
- The process of locating and diagnosing faults in equipment by means of systematic checking or analysis.
- True Bearing
- Angle between a target and true north measured clockwise in the horizontal plane.
- True North
- Geographic north.
- Trueness
- The closeness of an average measurement to a "true" value, while accuracy is the the closeness of a single measurement to the true value.
- Tsi
- Abbreviation of Tons per Square Inch.
- Twenty Four Hour Clock
- The convention of time keeping in which the day runs from midnight to midnight and is divided into 24 hours numbered from 0 to 23.
- Unidirectional
- In one direction only.
- Unit
- A standard for comparison in measurements. For example, the metre is a standard length which may be compared to any object to describe its length.
- Vernal Equinox
- The point at which the ecliptic intersects the celestial equator. Days and nights are most nearly equal in duration.
- watch
- A traditional unit of time equal to 4 hours.
- Week
- Traditional unit of time equal to seven days.
- Yardstick
- A wooden rule 36" long.
- Zulu Time
- Another name for the 24 hour clock.
