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index number
index number in econometrics, a figure reflecting a change in value or quantity as compared with a standard or base. The base usually equals 100 and the index number is usually expressed as a percentage. For example, if a commodity cost twice as much in 1970 as it did in 1960, its index number woul...
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beryl
beryl , mineral, a silicate of beryllium and aluminum, Be 3 Al 2 Si 6 O 18 , extremely hard, occurring in hexagonal crystals that may be of enormous size and are usually white, yellow, green, blue, or colorless. Beryl is commonly used as a gemstone. The refractive index is low, and the stones have l...
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cephalic index
cephalic index [Gr. kephale =head], ratio of the breadth of the head to its length. Expressed as a percental number, it provides the simplest description of the geometric relation of two dimensions. The index is obtained by dividing the maximum width of the cranium by its maximum length and multip...
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Index
Index in the Roman Catholic Church, list of publications forbidden to be read, called Index librorum prohibitorum [list of forbidden books]. This censorship was exercised by the Holy See. Catholics are forbidden, as a natural part of ethics, to read anything they know may endanger their faith or ...
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Consumer Price Index
Consumer Price Index (CPI) 1. In the UK, the usual name for the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP), a measure of price level introduced in 1997 to enable comparisons within the EU. In 2003 the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that government inflation targets would subsequently be base...
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Canada balsam
Canada balsam yellow, oily, resinous exudation obtained from the balsam fir . It is an oleoresin (see resin ) with a pleasant odor but a biting taste. It is a turpentine rather than a true balsam. On standing, the essential oil in Canada balsam evaporates, leaving behind the resin as a hard, tr...
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refraction
refraction in physics, deflection of a wave on passing obliquely from one transparent medium into a second medium in which its speed is different, as the passage of a light ray from air into glass. Other forms of electromagnetic radiation , in addition to light waves, can be refracted, as can soun...
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Jean Bernard Léon Foucault
Jean Bernard Léon Foucault , 1819-68, French physicist. Known especially for his research on the speed of light, he determined its velocity in air and found that its speed in water and other media diminished in proportion to the index of refraction. He originated the Foucault pendulum , with...
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fiber optics
fiber optics transmission of digitized messages or information by light pulses along hair-thin glass fibers. Each fiber is surrounded by a cladding having a high index of refractance so that the light is internally reflected and travels the length of the fiber without escaping. Cables of optical fi...
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opal
opal , a mineral consisting of poorly crystalline to amorphous silica, SiO 2 · n H 2 O; the water content is quite variable but usually ranges from 3% to 10%. Common opal is usually colorless or white, but it may be gray, brown, yellow, or red; the color is due to fine-grained impurities. Opa...
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