Dictionary of Geophysics, Astrophysics and Astronomy

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Clear, precise definitions of scientific terms are crucial to good scientific and technical writing - and to understanding the writings of others. Whether you are a physicist, engineer, mathematician, or technical writer, whether you work in a research, academic, or industrial setting, you have the occasional need for comprehensible, working definitions of scientific terms." "The Dictionary of Geophysics, Astrophysics, and Astronomy meets that need. Authored by eminent scientists from around the world, it offers concise, authoritative definitions of more than 3,750 terms covering a range of theoretical and applied disciplines: astronomy; cosmology; geophysics; Newtonian physics; astrophysics; general and special relativity; meteorology; and oceanography." "The editor has taken care to ensure that each entry is as self-contained as possible, to include terms from the frontiers of technology, and to omit obsolete terms that can clutter a search. The result is a reference valuable to both the novice and the seasoned professional."--BOOK JACKET.

SYNOPSIS

Contributions from 52 active researchers in the three disciplines explain such topics as blizzards, current sheets, flux Richardson number, gravitational instability, lepton, multicell storms, polar dunes, skip fading, and type Ia supernovae. The entries are generally one or two paragraphs, and often contain relevant formulae or equations. There is no index or bibliography.