| parent |
|
noun
- One of the two persons from whom one is immediately biologically descended; a mother or father.
- A person who acts as a parent in rearing a child. (adoptive parent, foster parent)
- (biology) An organism from which a plant or animal is immediately biologically descended.
- The source or origin of something.
- A group from which another group is formed, or which completely controls a subordinate group. (parent company)
- In object oriented computer programming, the object from which a child or derived object is descended The child object inherits methods and data fields from the parent.
|
|
| partial vacuum |
|
noun
- a region of low atmospheric pressure, especially one in which most of the air has been pumped out
|
| particle accelerator |
|
noun (plural particle accelerators)
- A device that accelerates electrically charged particles to extremely high speeds, for the purpose of inducing high energy reactions or producing high energy radiation.
|
| Pascal |
|
proper noun
- The French mathematician and physicist w:Blaise_Pascal, Blaise Pascal.
- The w:Pascal_programming_language, Pascal programming language.
|
| Pascal's law |
|
noun Pascal"s law
- (physics) The law that states that a confined fluid transmits externally applied pressure uniformly in all directions; the basis of hydraulics.
(trans-top, physical law)
(trans-mid)
(trans-bottom)
|
| Paschen-Back effect |
|
noun - (physics) a form of the Zeeman effect that affects the spectral lines obtained when a light source is placed in a very strong magnetic field
|
| PC |
|
initialism (plural PCs for countable noun senses)
- (US Navy) w:Coastal Patrol, Coastal Patrol
- partially continuous
- w:Penn Central, Penn Central
- personal computer
- photocopy
- w:Phrozen Crew, Phrozen Crew
- (UK politics) w:Plaid Cymru, Plaid Cymru
- player character
- (UK, Canada) police constable
- politically correct
- political correctness
- polycarbonate
- posterior commissure
- w:Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church
- Privy Council
- privy councillor
- probable cause
- Probate Court
- pro-choice
- (TV) production code
- Professional Corporation
- (Canada) w:Progressive Canadian Party, Progressive Canadian Party
- (Canada, formerly) w:Progressive Conservative, Progressive Conservative
- progressive contextualization
- Proto-Celtic
- pubococcygeus muscle
|
| Peltier effect |
|
noun
- (Physics) a thermodynamic effect which occurs when current is passed through a thermocouple, used in computing as a cooling process
|
| penetrometer |
|
noun
- A mechanical device that measures the ease of penetration of an object into a semisolid
- A device that measures the penetrating power of electromagnetic radiation (especially X-rays)
|
| period |
|
noun
- (context, now mostly, North America) Punctuation mark ending a sentence or marking an abbreviation. <!-- What languages does this apply to? All? Or just most? Should it be
adjective
- appropriate, Appropriate for a given historical era.
- 2004, Mark Singer, Somewhere in America, Houghton Mifflin, page 70
- :As the guests arrived — there were about a hundred, a majority in attire — I began to feel out of place in my beige summer suit, white shirt, and red necktie. Then I got over it. I certainly didn't suffer from Confederate-uniform envy.
|
| periodic |
|
adjective
- Relative to a period or periods.
- Having repeat, repeated cycle, cycles.
- Occurring at regular interval, intervals.
- Pertaining to the revolution of a celestial object in its orbit.
- Periodical.
|
| phase |
|
noun
- That which is exhibited to the eye; the appearance which anything manifests, especially any one among different and varying appearances of the same object.
- Any appearance or aspect of an object of mental apprehension or view
- The problem has many phases.
- (astronomy) A particular appearance or state in a regularly recurring cycle of changes with respect to quantity of illumination or form, or the absence, of its enlightened disk; as, the phases of the moon or planets. Illustrated in W:Lunar phase, Wikipedia's article Lunar phase.
- Any one point or portion in a recurring series of changes, as in the changes of motion of one of the particles constituting a wave or vibration; one portion of a series of such changes, in distinction from a contrasted portion, as the portion on one side of a position of equilibrium, in contrast with that on the opposite side.
verb (phas, ing)
- (to phase out) To discontinue (doing) something over a period of time (i.e., in phases).
- (transitive) To stun or shock someone.
- (intransitive) To become stunned or shocked.
|
| phase velocity |
|
noun - (physics) the velocity of propagation of a pure sine wave of infinite extent and infinitesimal amplitude
|
| phon |
|
noun
- A unit of apparent loudness, equal in number to the intensity in decibels of a 1,000-hertz tone judged to be as loud as the sound being measured.
|
| phonon |
|
noun
- (particles) The quantum of acoustic or vibrational energy (sound), considered a discrete particle.
|
| phonoscope |
|
noun
- a device that shows an image representing the acoustical properties of a musical instrument etc.
|
| phosphoresce |
|
verb to phosphoresce
- to exhibit phosphorescence
|
| phosphorescent |
|
noun
- A phosphorescent substance.
adjective
- Having the property of emitting light for a period of time after the source of excitation is taken away, e.g., in electrostatic storage tubes and cathode-ray tubes.
|
| photoconductive |
|
adjective
- of, relating to, or characterized by photoconductivity
|
| photodisintegration |
|
noun - (physics) Any nuclear reaction, especially a nuclear fission, initiated by absorption of high-energy electromagnetic radiation such as a gamma ray
|
| photoelasticity |
|
noun
- a technique for studying and measuring the stresses and strains in an object by means of mechanical birefringence
|
| photoelectric effect |
|
noun - (physics) The emission of electrons from the surface of a material following the absorption of electromagnetic radiation
|
| photoelectron |
|
noun - (physics) An electron ejected from the surface of a material by the photoelectric effect
|
| photoemission |
|
noun - (physics) the ejection of electrons from the surface of a solid by incident electromagnetic radiation
|
| photofission |
|
noun - (physics) nuclear fission as the result of the absorption of a gamma ray or other high-energy photon
|
| photoionization |
|
noun
- alternative spelling of photoionisation
|
| photoluminescence |
|
noun - (physics) luminescence following the absorption of a photon
|
| photon |
|
noun
- (particles) The quantum of light and other electromagnetic energy, regarded as a discrete particle having zero rest mass, no electric charge, and an indefinitely long lifetime. It is a gauge boson.
|
| photonegative |
|
adjective - (biology) having a negative phototropic or phototactic response; repelled by light
|
| photoneutron |
|
noun - (physics) Any neutron produced by a photonuclear reaction
|
| photonuclear |
|
adjective - (physics) of or relating to any nuclear reaction involving a photon
|
| photopositive |
|
adjective - (biology) having a positive phototropic or phototactic response; attracted by light
|
| photoproton |
|
noun - (physics) Any proton produced in a photonuclear reaction
|
| photovoltaic effect |
|
noun
- (physics) the conversion of electromagnetic radiation into electric power through absorption by a semiconducting material
|
| physical |
|
noun
- Physical examination.
- How long has it been since your last physical?
adjective (wikipedia, Physical)
- Having to do with the body.
- Are you feeling any physical effects?
- Having to do with the material world.
- It's not so much a physical place as a state of mind.
- Involving bodily force.
- This team plays a very physical game, so watch out.
- Having to do with physics.
- This substance has a number of interesting physical properties.
|
| physicist |
|
noun
- A person whose occupation specializes in the science of physics, especially at a professional level.
|
| physics |
|
noun
- The branch of science concerned with the study of properties and interactions of space, time, matter and energy.
|
| piezometer |
|
noun
- An instrument used to measure high pressures
|
| pile |
|
noun
- A hair; hence, the fiber of wool, cotton, and the like; also, the nap when thick or heavy, as of carpeting and velvet.
- Velvet soft, or plush with shaggy pile. —Cowper
- A covering of hair or fur.
- A large stake, or piece of timber, steel section pointed and driven into the earth or drilled and cast reinforced concrete, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support of a building, a pier, or other superstructure, or to form a cofferdam, etc.
- The head of an arrow or spear.
- (heraldry) One of the ordinaries or subordinaries having the form of a wedge, usually placed palewise, with the broadest end uppermost.
- A mass of things heaped together; a heap; as, a pile of stones; a pile of wood.
- A mass formed in layers; as, a pile of shot.
- A funeral pile; a pyre.
- A large building, or mass of buildings.
- A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be worked over into bars or other shapes by rolling or hammering at a welding heat; a fagot.
- A vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; — commonly called Volta"s pile, voltaic pile, or galvanic pile.
- The reverse (or tails) of a coin. (Obs)
- A hemorrhoid (usually it is in plural)
|
| pinch effect |
|
noun - (physics) the magnetic self-attraction of parallel electric currents having the same direction; the restriction of a flowing plasma because of this attraction
|
| pion |
|
noun
- (particles) Any of three semistable mesons, having positive, negative or neutral charge, now known to be composed of a quark and an antiquark. <!-- either Ï�0, a neutral form with a mass 264 times that of an electron, or Ï�+ or Ï�—, a charged form with a mass 273 times that of an electron.
- Note: Ï�+ is a combination of an up quark and a down antiquark, Ï�— is a combination of an up antiquark and a down quark, Ï�0 is a quantum mixture of an up quark, up antiquark pair and a down quark, down antiquark pair !-->
|
| Planck's constant |
|
noun
- (physics) the constant of proportionality relating the energy and frequency of a photon (6.626 x 10-34 joule-seconds); also related to the indeterminacy limit in the Heisenberg uncertainty principle
|
| plasma |
|
noun - (physics) A state of matter consisting of fully ionized gas
- A clear component of blood or lymph containing fibrin
- blood plasma, Blood plasma, free of suspended cells, used in transfusions
|
| plastic flow |
|
noun - (physics) any fluid flow in which movement is proportional to the applied force (above the yield value)
- (geology) any deformation caused by a sustained force
|
| plenum |
|
noun (pl2=plena)
- A space that is completely filled with matter
- 1974: He lay on the long stone slant down to the slapping waves, his denim shorts, sneakers, and socks under his head for a pillow, feeling the splendour of distance in all directions, the liquid silence, the of aloneness. " Guy Davenport Tatlin!
- A legislative meeting (especially of the Communist Party) in which all members are present
- An enclosed space having greater than atmospheric pressure
- The space above a false ceiling used for cables, ducts etc
- (computing) A type of network cabling which satisfies plenum-ratings issued by the National Electrical Code. These cables are safer in case of a fire, producing less smoke and fumes.
|
| pneumatic |
|
noun
- (gnosticism) In gnostic theologian Valentinus' triadic grouping of man the highest type; a person focused on spiritual reality (the other two being hylic and psychic).
adjective
- Of, or related to air or other gases
- Of, or related to pneumatics
- Powered by, or filled with compressed air
- (zoology) Having cavities filled with air
- Spiritual; Of, or related to the pneuma
- (context, of a woman) well-rounded; full-breasted; bouncy (especially during sex)
- "Every one says I'm awfully pneumatic," said Lenina reflectively, patting her own legs. - Aldous Huxley - Brave New World (chapter 6)
|
| pneumatics |
|
noun
- The branch of mechanics that deals with the mechanical properties of gases
|
| poise |
|
noun (uncountable)
- A state of balance, equilibrium or stability
- Composure; freedom from embarrassment or affectation
- mien; bearing or deportment of the head or body
- A condition of hovering, or being suspended
- (physics) A cgs unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter.
verb to poise (poises, poised, poising)
- To balance or to hover
- To draw up into readiness
|
| Poisson's ratio |
|
noun - Of a material in tension or compression, the ratio of the strain in the direction of the applied load to the strain normal to the load. Abbreviated ν.
|
| porous |
|
adjective
- Full of tiny pores that allow fluids or gasses to pass through.
- Sponges are so they can filter water while trapping food.
- Concrete is , so water will slowly filter through it.
- (Of legislation): full of loopholes
|
| positron |
|
noun
- (particles) The antimatter equivalent of an electron, having the same mass but a positive charge
|
| potential energy |
|
noun
- the energy possessed by an object because of its position (in a gravitational or electric field), or its condition (as a stretched or compressed spring, as a chemical reactant, or by having rest mass)
|
| pound-force |
|
noun - A unit of force equal to a mass of one avoirdupois pound times a standard acceleration of gravity, equal to about 4.44822 newtons. Symbol lbf or lbf.
|
| PPS |
|
abbreviation - Post Postscript
- Polyphenylene Sulfide
|
| pressure |
|
noun (countable and uncountable; plural: pressures)
- (physics) The amount of force that is applied over a given area divided by the size of this area.
- Units
- SI: pascal (Pa) (1 pascal equals 1 newton per square metre)
- Others: bar (1 bar equals 100000 pascals), barye (Ba) (1 barye equals 0.1 pascal), pounds per square inch (psi, lbf/in2, lb/in2), torr, mmHg, atmosphere (atm)
- mental strain caused by one's own or others' expectations on one's own performance
- She has been under lately because her boss expects her to get the job done two weeks early.
- Synonyms - under the pump, under the gun
|
| pressurize |
|
verb (pressuriz, es)
- To put pressure on; to put under pressure.
|
| proton |
|
noun
- (particles) A positively charged subatomic particle forming part of the nucleus of an atom and determining the atomic number of an element; the nucleus of the most common isotope of hydrogen; composed of two up quarks and a down antiquark
|
| PSI |
|
initialism
- Pounds per square inch.
- Pre-Sentence Investigation.
- Protein Structure Initiative.
- Pollutant Safety Index or Pollutant Standard Index (Measuement of the air pollutant such as haze)
|
| PSIG |
|
initialism
- pounds, Pounds per square inch, gauge (unit of pressure)
|
| pulse |
|
noun
- Any annual legume yielding from 1 to 12 grains or seeds of variable size, shape and colour within a pod, and used as food for humans or animals.
- (physiology) A normally regular beat felt when arteries are depressed, caused by the pumping action of the heart.
- A beat, throb.
- (music) A periodically recurring short stimulus, perceived as points in time. (DeLone? et. al. (Eds.), 1975, chap. 3) Often the stimuli are defined as identical (Cooper & Meyer, 1960). (rfc, music definition needs rewritten because the current one is copyrighted)
|
| pyromagnetic |
|
adjective - (obsolete) that functions as a result of heat and magnetism
|
