Mechanics

Cathode fall of potential, the potential difference between the cathode of an electric discharge in a gas and the plasma column.

Nuclear astrophysics covers the study of all the nuclear processes that take place in stars and in other cosmic objects.

see Elastic moduli .

Euler number , (named after L. Euler), one of the similarity criteria for the motion of liquids or gases.

Lagrange function , (the kinetic potential), the characteristic function L(q i , q` i , t) of a mechanical system, expressed through the generalised coordinates q i , the generalised velocities q` i and the time t.

Laminar flow , (from the Latin lamina — a plate or strip), an ordered flow of a liquid or gas in which the liquid (gas) moves as if in layers parallel to the direction of flow.

Lyapunov's methods , the two main methods of studying the stability of motion, proposed by A.

The angle between the direction of the velocity of a body in translational motion and some characteristic direction fixed in the body, for example the wing chord for an aircraft wing, or the axis of symmetry for a shell …

A characteristic of a material that reflects its strength and plasticity.

A geometrical construction that expresses the law of the addition of forces: the vector representing the force equal to the geometrical sum of two forces is the diagonal of the parallelogram built on those forces as its …

Safety factor , in the strength of materials, defines the relation between the design load that ensures safe operation of a structure and the maximum load that is theoretically permissible.

Stability margin , defines how far the loads acting on a structure are from their limiting, critical values, at which stability is lost and the load-bearing capacity of the structure is exhausted (see Stability of elasti…

As is well known, the dynamic and acoustic characteristics of vehicles change under the influence of oncoming flows of air.

Pearls have excited admiration since ancient times for the richness of their shades and the perfection of their shape.