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aberration
an apparent displacement in the position of a celestial object, due to the time it takes for light from the object to reach an earthbound... -
abiogenic theory
the theory that hydrocarbon deposits have a (mainly) non-biological origin. According to this, such materials became trapped far below the earth's crust when the basic... -
abrasion (abrasive) drilling
a rotary oil-drilling method in which abrasive material under pressure rotates while being pressed against the rock.... -
absolute advantage
the ability of a country, individual, company, or region to produce more of a good or service with the same amount of resources, or the... -
absolute entropy
the entropy of a substance existing at a temperature of absolute zero (0 degrees Kelvin); any pure substance can be assumed to have an entropy... -
absolute expansion
the true expansion of a liquid with a change in temperature, allowing for the expansion of the container holding the liquid in calculating this measurement.... -
absolute humidity
a statement of humidity that describes the mass of water vapor present in relation to the unit volume of space that it occupies; usually expressed... -
absolute permeability
a measurement of the ability of a fluid, such as oil, gas, or water, to flow through a rock formation when the formation is at... -
absolute pressure
the total pressure of a gas system measured with respect to a pure vacuum (zero pressure).... -
absolute temperature scale
a temperature scale whose zero point corresponds to absolute zero (see next), such as the Kelvin scale or Rankine scale. Thus, absolute temperature.... -
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absorbance
the ability of a medium to absorb radiation, which depends on temperature and wavelength; expressed as the negative common logarithm of the transmittance (ratio of... -
absorbed dose
the amount of energy from ionizing radiation that is absorbed by a unit mass of any material; it is expressed in grays or rads. One... -
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absorber plate
a metal sheet in a flat plate solar collector whose primary function is to maximize the transfer of solar radiation reaching it through the glazing... -
absorptance
the ratio between the radiation absorbed by a surface (absorber) and the total amount of solar radiation striking the surface....