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mirage
(Encyclopedia)mirage mĭräzhˈ [key], atmospheric optical illusion in which an observer sees in the distance a nonexistent body of water or an image, sometimes distorted, of some object or of a complete scene. Exa...atmosphere
(Encyclopedia) CE5 Atmosphere atmosphere [Gr.,=sphere of air], the mixture of gases surrounding a celestial body with sufficient gravity to maintain it. Although some details about the atmospheres of other plane...Tsunetaka
(Encyclopedia)Tsunetaka (Tosa Tsunetaka) tōsä tso͞onātäˈkä [key], fl. 12th cent., Japanese painter. He held the title of vice lord of Tosa, and later artists of the Tosa clan claimed him as the founder of th...Kronecker, Leopold
(Encyclopedia)Kronecker, Leopold lāˈōpôlt krōˈnĕkˌər [key], 1823–91, German mathematician. After making a fortune in business he devoted his attention to mathematics and became professor at the Univ. of ...Pynchon, Thomas
(Encyclopedia)Pynchon, Thomas pĭnˈchən [key], 1937–, American novelist, b. Glen Cove, N.Y., grad. Cornell, 1958. Pynchon is noted for his amazingly fertile imagination, his wild sense of humor, and the teeming...mineral
(Encyclopedia)mineral, inorganic substance occurring in nature, having a characteristic and homogeneous chemical composition, definite physical properties, and, usually, a definite crystalline form. A few of the mi...Geulincx, Arnold
(Encyclopedia)Geulincx, Arnold göˈlĭngks [key], 1624–69, Flemish Cartesian philosopher, b. Antwerp. One of the founders of occasionalism, his philosophy is characterized by a curious blending of rationalism an...friction
(Encyclopedia)friction, resistance offered to the movement of one body past another body with which it is in contact. In certain situations friction is desired. Without friction the wheels of a locomotive could not...chromosphere
(Encyclopedia)chromosphere krōˈməsfērˌ [key] [Gr.,=color sphere], layer of rarefied, transparent gases in the solar atmosphere; it measures 6,000 mi (9,700 km) in thickness and lies between the photosphere (th...dwarf planet
(Encyclopedia)dwarf planet, a nonluminous body of rock or gas that orbits the sun and has a rounded shape due to its gravity. Unlike a planet, a dwarf planet is not capable of clearing its orbit of smaller objects ...Browse by Subject
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