Columbia Encyclopedia
Search results
404 results found
Archimedes' screw
(Encyclopedia)Archimedes' screw, a simple mechanical device believed to have been invented by Archimedes in the 3d cent. b.c. It consists of a cylinder inside of which a continuous screw, extending the length of th...Fizeau, Armand Hippolyte Louis
(Encyclopedia)Fizeau, Armand Hippolyte Louis ärmäNˈ ēpôlētˈ lwē fēzōˈ [key], 1819–96, French physicist. The first to measure (1849) the velocity of light in air, he also determined its speed in water. ...trill
(Encyclopedia)trill, in music, ornament consisting of the more or less rapid alternation of two adjacent notes. Indicated by any of several conventional symbols, it varies in speed and duration and in the manner of...battleship
(Encyclopedia)battleship, large, armored warship equipped with the heaviest naval guns. The evolution of the battleship, from the ironclad warship of the mid-19th cent., received great impetus from the Civil War. B...Balla, Giacomo
(Encyclopedia)Balla, Giacomo, 1871–1958, Italian painter, one of the founders of futurism. He moved from Turin to Rome in his twenties and began painting in a realist style. He travelled (1900) to Paris, where he...light
(Encyclopedia)light, visible electromagnetic radiation. Of the entire electromagnetic spectrum, the human eye is sensitive to only a tiny part, the part that is called light. The wavelengths of visible light range ...Meghna
(Encyclopedia)Meghna mĕgˈnə [key], river, c.130 mi (210 km) long, formed at the outlet of the Surma valley, NE Bangladesh, by the branches of the Surma River. It flows south, receiving arms of the Ganges and Bra...Campbell, Sir Malcolm
(Encyclopedia)Campbell, Sir Malcolm, 1885–1949, English automobile and speedboat racer. A racing enthusiast from boyhood, Campbell set many speed records for motorcycles, airplanes, automobiles, and motorboats an...Gosnold, Bartholomew
(Encyclopedia)Gosnold, Bartholomew gŏzˈnōld [key], fl. 1572–1607, English explorer and colonizer. In 1602 he commanded the Concord on a voyage of exploration. He navigated the coast from Maine to Narragansett ...dog racing
(Encyclopedia)dog racing, trials of speed between dogs. Now contested on oval tracks, the sport developed from the ancient practice of coursing, in which specially trained dogs chase game animals in the open field....Browse by Subject
- Earth and the Environment +-
- History +-
- Literature and the Arts +-
- Medicine +-
- People +-
- Philosophy and Religion +-
-
Places
+-
- Africa
- Asia
- Australia and Oceania
- Britain, Ireland, France, and the Low Countries
- Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic Nations
- Germany, Scandinavia, and Central Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean
- Oceans, Continents, and Polar Regions
- Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and the Balkans
- United States, Canada, and Greenland
- Plants and Animals +-
- Science and Technology +-
- Social Sciences and the Law +-
- Sports and Everyday Life +-
