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`On the cover: Pattern produced from white light by a computer-generated
`dittraction plate containing 529 square apertures arranged in a 23 x 23 array.
`(R. 3. Hoover, Marshall Space Flight Center)
`‘ On the title pages: Aerial photograph of the Sinai Peninsula made by Gemini
`spacecraft. (NASA)
`
`.
`
`Included in this Dictionary are definitions which have beenpublished previously in the following
`works: P.'B. Jordain, Condensed Computer Encyclopedia, ‘Copyright '© 1969 by McGraw-Hill, Inc.
`All rights reserved. J. Markus, Electronics and Nucleonics Dictionary, 4th ed., Copyright © 1960,
`1966, 1978 by McGraw-Hill, Inc. All rights reserved. J. Quick, Artists’ and Illustrators’Encyclopedia,
`Copyright © 1969 by Mc_Graw—Hill, Inc. All rights reserved. Blakistorfs Gould Medical Dictionary,
`3d ed., Copyright © "1956, 1972 by McGraw-Hill, Inc. All rights" reserved. T. Baumeister and
`L. S. Marks, eds., Standard Handbookfor Mec-hanic_al Engineers, 7th ed., Copyright © 1958, 1967
`' by McGraw-Hill, Inc.iAll rights reserved.
`In addition, material has been drawn from the following references: R. E. Huschke, Glossary of
`Meteorology, American Meteorological Society, 1959; U.S. Air Force Glossary ofStandardized Terms,
`AF Manual 11-1, vol. 1, 1972; Communications-Electronics Terminology, AF Manual 11-1, vol. 3,
`1970; W. H. Allen, ed., Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use, 1st ed., National Aero-
`nautics and Space Administration, 1965; J. M. Gilliland, Solar-Terrestrial Physics: A Glossary of
`Terms and Abbreviations, Royal Aircraft Establishment Technical Report 67158, 1967; Glossary of
`Air Traffic Control Terms, Federal Aviation Agency; A Glossary of Range Terminology, White Sands
`Missile Range, New Mexico, National Bureau of Standards, AD 467-4-24; A DOD Glossary ofMapping,
`Charting and Geodetic Terms, 1st ed., Department of Defense, 1967; P. W. Thrush, comp. and ed.,
`A Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms, Bureau of Mines, 1968; Nuclear Terms: A
`Glossary, 2d ed., Atomic ‘Energy Commission; F. Casey, ed., Compilation of Terms in Information
`Sciences Technology, Federal Councii for Science and Technology, 1970; Glossary of Stinfo Termi-
`nology, Office of Aerospace Research, US. Air Force, 1963; Naval Dictionary of Electronic, Tech-
`nical, and Imperative Terms, Bureau _of Naval Personnel, 1962; ADP Glossary, Department of the
`. Navy, NAVSO P-3097.
`
`McGRAW'-HILL DICTIONARY OF SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL TERMS,
`Fourth Edition
`_
`7
`Copyright @ 1989, 1984, 1978, 1976, 1974 by McGraw-Hill, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in
`the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976,,
`no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored
`in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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`34-567890
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`95.43210
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`ISBN El-El?-D‘-l5E?E|-‘I
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`Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
`
`McGraw-Hill dictionary of scientific and technical terms.
`
`1. Science—Dictionaries.
`1. Parker, Sybil P.
`1989
`Q123.M34
`I-SBN 0~07-045270-9
`
`2. Technology—Dictiona.ries.
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`503721
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`88-13490
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`For more Information about other llllcGraw-Hill materials, call 1-B00-2-MCGRAW in the
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`

`
`realization of a stochastic process
`
`recalescence
`
`1573
`
`_
`
`can be realized by a network that has only resistances, capac-
`itances, inductances, and ideal transformers.
`{ ,ré-a,liz-o'bil-
`ad-E }
`[STAT] A probability
`realization of a stochastic process
`space whose points are sample paths of the stochastic process
`and whose probability is obtained from the joint probability
`distributions of the random variables in the process.
`{ ,rE-a-
`la'za-shan ov a st6'kas-tilc ‘préi-sos }
`real number
`-[MATH] Any member of the unique (to within
`_ isomorphism) complete ordered field.
`{ ‘rel ‘non:-bar}
`real orthogonal group [MATH] - The group composed of or-
`thogonal ‘matrices having real number entries.
`{ ‘rel or'thiig-
`an-al ,griip }
`real part
`[MATH] The real part of a complex number 2 =
`x- + iy is the real number x.
`{ ‘rel {part }
`real power
`[ELEC] The component of apparent power that
`represents true work; expressed in watts,
`it is equal to voti-
`ampcres multiplied by the power factor.
`{ ‘rel {pair-or}
`real precession [NAV]
`In marine gyroscopes, that compo-
`nent of the total precession caused by bearing friction, torque
`unbalance, and other manufacturing or design defects. Also
`known as induced precession.
`{ ‘rel pré'sesh-an }
`,
`real source
`[Acous] A source of sound consisting of a
`macroscopic body that is composed of materiais different from
`those of the medium in which the sound propagates and has
`sharply delineated physical extent, and which generates sound
`by executing complex motions while immersed in the medium.
`{ ‘rel 'sors }
`[COMPUT sci] Actual physical storage of data
`real storage
`and instructions.
`{ ‘rel 'stor-ij }
`‘
`real-time
`[CDMPUT sci] Pertaining to a data-processing sys-
`tem that controls an ongoing process and delivers its outputs
`(or controls its inputs) not later than the time when these are
`needed for effective control; for instance, airline reservations
`booking and chemical processes control.
`{ ‘ref ,tirn }
`real-time clock [COMPUT sci] A pulse generator which op-
`erates at precise time intervals to determine time intervals be-
`tween events and initiate specific elements of processing.
`{ ‘rel ,tim 'k1ak }
`.
`real-time control system [CDMPUT SCI] A computer-system
`which controls an operation in real time, such as a rocket flight.
`{ ‘rel ,tirn l-tan‘trol ,sis-tam }
`,
`[orrrcs] The study
`real-time holographic interferometry
`of the interference fringes generated when a hologram is made
`of an object and is later placed back into its original position
`relative to the object, now slightly deformed, so that there is
`interference between‘ the object and its hologram.
`{ ‘rel ,tim
`[ho-lajgraf-ik ,in-tar-fa'riim-a-tré }
`_
`V
`real-time operation [COMPUT sci]
`1. Of a computer or sys-
`tem, an operation or other response in which programmed
`responses to an event are essentially simultaneous with the
`event itself.
`2. An operation in which information obtained
`from a physical process is processed to influence or control the
`physical process.
`{ ‘rel ,tim ,ap-o'ra-shun }
`real-time processing [CGMPUT SCI] The handling of input
`data at a rate sufficient to ensure that the instructions generated
`by the computer will influence the operation under control at
`the required time.
`{ 'rél ,tTm 'préi,ses-in }
`‘
`real-time programming
`[COMPUT SCI]
`Programming for a
`situation in which results of computations will be used imme-
`diately to influence the course of ongoing physical events.
`{ ‘rel ,tim 'p'r6,gram-in }
`real-time system [coivirur SCi] A system in which the com-
`puter is required to perform its tasks within the time restraints
`of some process or simultaneously with the system it is assist-
`ing.
`{ ‘rel :tim ‘sis-tam }
`The group of all square
`[MATH]
`real unimodular group
`n X :1 matrices with real number entries and of determi-
`nant l.
`{ irEl ,yiin-i'miij-c-lar ,grr‘.ip}
`_
`real variable
`[MATH] A variable thatassumes real numbers
`for its values.
`{ ‘rel 'ver-E-a-bal}
`"
`A
`1. A
`[MATER]
`team [ENG] To enlarge or clean out a hole.
`layer of nonhomogeneous material
`in flat glass.
`2. Five
`hundred sheets of paper; a printer's ream consists of 516 sheets.
`{ rem }
`[Mar] A hollow extrusion ingot
`reamed extrusion ingot
`whose original inside surface has been removed by reaming.
`{ 'rEmd ik‘strr‘.i-zhan ,ir_}-got}
`
`[orzs ENG] A tool used to enlarge, shape, smooth, or
`reamer
`otherwise finish a hole.
`{ ‘rem-ar '}
`reaming bit.
`[DES ENG] A bit used to enlarge a borehole.
`Also known as broaching bit; pilotreaming bit.
`{ ‘rem-in ,bit }
`rear area
`[oao]
`The area in the rear of the combat and
`forward areas.
`{ ‘rir ‘era’:-a }
`r_earm_|ng
`[one]
`1. An operation that replenishes the pre-
`scribed stores of ammunition, bombs, and other armament
`items for an aircraft, naval ship,
`tank, or armored vehicle,
`including replacement of defective ordnance equipment,
`in
`order to make it ready for combat service. 2. Resetting the
`fuse on a bomb, or on an artillery. mortar, or rocket projectile,
`so that it will detonate at the desired time.
`{ réfliinn-in }
`rear-projection [ELECTR] Pertaining to television system in
`which the picture is projected on a ground-glass screen for
`viewing from’ the opposite side of the screen.
`{ ‘rir p1'3'jck'
`shan }
`_
`'
`.
`rearrangement reaction
`[NUC PHYS] A nuclear reaction in
`which nucleons are exchanged between nuclei.
`[oso CHEM]
`A chemical reaction involving a change in the bonding sequence
`within a molecule.
`{ ,ré-a'ranj-mant rE,ak-shan }
`rear response [ENG ACGU5] The rnaximum pressure within
`60“ of the rear ofa transducer in decibeis relative to the pressure
`on the acoustic axis.
`{ 'rir ri,spiins }
`rear sight
`[oao] An item attached to the breech end and
`integral to a carbine, machine gun, pistol, rifie, or the like; it
`may be a fixed or adjustable cross blade with a U- or V-shaped
`notch or aperture, or it may have elevation and windage ad-
`justment knobs, slides, and graduated scales and be provided
`with aperture disks.
`{ 'rir ,sIt }
`reasonableness
`[COMPUT scr] A measure of the extent to
`which data processed by a computer falls within an acceptable
`allowance for errors, as determined by quantitative tests.
`{ lréz-no-bal-has }
`‘
`[THBRMO] Temperature scale
`Réaumur temperature scale
`where water freezes at U°R and boils at 80“R.
`{ fré-ofmytir
`'tem-pro-char ,skal }
`rebat
`[METEOROL] The lake breeze of Lake Geneva, Swit-
`zerland; it blows from about 10 am. to 4 p.m.
`{'re‘ba }
`rebecca
`[NAV]
`, An electronic navigation system that has at
`least one radio transmitter and one radio receiver; the trans-
`mitter emits pulses which travelover a single path to a trans-
`ponder and return to the interrogation receiver.
`{ ri'bek-9 }
`rebecca-eureka system [NAV] An aircraft radar homing
`system in which” an airborne interrogator-responsor (rebecca)
`homes on a ground radar beacon (eureka) that has been dropped
`or set up in advance; the system can also give the distance from
`the rebecca radar to the eureka beacon.
`{ri'bel<-a y1't’ré-kc
`,sis-tom } ,
`,
`reboiler
`[CHEM ENG] An auxiliary heating unit for a fraction-
`ating tower designed to supply additional heat to the lower
`portion ofthe tower; liquid withdrawn from the side or bottom
`of the tower is reheated by heat exchange, then reintroduced
`into the tower.
`{ ré‘boil-or }
`reboot
`[COMPUT scr] To reload systems software into a com-
`puter so that it makes a new start.
`{ re‘biit }
`_
`rebound
`[GEOL]
`The isostatic readjustment upward of a
`landmass depressed by glacial loading.
`{ :q‘ barind }
`' rebound clip
`[ous ENG] A clip surrounding -are back and one
`or two other leaves of a leaf spring, to distribute the load during
`rebounds.
`{ ‘re,baund ,klip}
`rebound leaf
`[oas ENG]
`In a leaf spring, a leaf placed over
`,the master leaf .to limit the rebound and help carry the load
`imposed by it.
`{ ‘ré,ba1'ind ,léf}
`reboyo
`[METEORGL] A persistent (clay-long) storm from the
`southwest during the‘ rainy season on the Brazilian coast.
`{ ra'boi-6}
`[ENG] A closed-loop oxygen supply system con-
`febfealher
`sisting of gas supply and face mask.
`{ ré'breth-:;r_}
`rebrgadcast
`[COMMTJN] Repetition of a radio_or television
`progiam at a later time.
`{ re'brod,kast}
`'
`'
`rebuild
`[ENG] To restore to a condition comparable to new
`by disassembling the item to determine the condition of each
`of its component parts, and reassembling it, using serviceable,
`rebuilt, or new assemblies,
`subasscmblies,
`and parts.
`_ {rE'bild}
`[Mn-r] Brightening (reglowing) of iron on
`recalescence
`cooling through the gamma- to alpha-phase transformation tem-