Terminology

Leonardo, Vol. 9, pp. 67-68. Pergamon Press 1976. Printed in Great Britain TERMINOLOGY The terms defined below were selected from Artists’ articles and from technology. Numbers in brackets, e.g. Ill, 171, and Notes published in the previous issue of Leonardo (cf. refer to the dictionaries consulted. The definitions are Ref. 12 below). The terms were not found in the art dic- not presumed to be unassailable. The Editors would, tionaries consulted or they are used in a new sense. Some therefore, welcome the comments of readers on the are terms that have been carried over into the field of art definitions presented. The following references have been from the natural and social sciences, from mathematics consulted: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. The Adeline Art Dictionary. Jules Adeline. Frederick Ungar, New York, 1967. The Basic Dictionary of Science. Ed. E. C. Graham. Macmillan, New York, 1965. Britannica World Language Dictionary. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chicago, 1962. A Dictionary of Art and Artists. Third Edition. Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1972. A Dictionary of Art Terms. Reginald G. Hagger. Hawthorn Books, New York, 1962. A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques. Ralph Mayer. Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1969. Dictionary of the Arts. Martin L. Wolf. Philosophical Library, New York, 1951. Dictionnairepolyglotte des termes d’art et d’arch6ologie. Louis RBau. Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 1953. Glossaryof Art, Architectureand Design since 1945. John A. Walker. Clive Bingley, London, 1973. Glossary of Modern Art. John O’Dwyer and Raymond Le Mage. The Philosophical Library, New York. The Harper Encyclopediaof Science. Ed. James R. Newman. Harper and Row, New York, 1963. Leonardo, International Journal of the Contemporary Artist, 8, No. 4, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1975. Mathematics Dictionary. Third Edition. James and James. D. Van Nostrand, Princeton, 1968. ThePenguin Dictionary of Science. E. B. Uvarov, D. R. Chapman and A. Isaacs. Schocken Books, New York, 1972. Pergamon Dictonary of Art. John FitzMaurice Mills. Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1965. The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. Third Edition. Revised with Addenda. Oxford at the Clarendon Press, 1965. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. G. and C. Merriam, Springfield, Mass., 1973. Peter and Linda Murray. Eighth Edition. 707. Algorithm (in iiiatheniatics)-Some kind of special 711. Channel (in electrical coinniuriicatiorr)-A path for process of solving a certain type of problem, particularly a the transmission of electrical signals, often specified by its method that continually repeats some kind of basic frequency band. ([12] p. 290; [14]) (cf. Frequency, Termiprocess . ([12] p. 318; [13]) nology, Leonardo 7, 66 (1974)) 708. Ball bearing (in mechanics)-A bearing in which the shaft, at its points of support, rests upon or is surrounded by small hardened steel.balls that turn freely as the shaft revolves. Ball bearings are classified as radial, angular and thrust. Angular bearings support both radial and thrust loads. ([12] p. 275; [3] [L. S. Marks, ed., Mechanical Engineers’ Handbook, 3rd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1930)l) 709. Bandwidth (in electronics)-The range of frequencies within which the performance of a circuit, receiver or amplifier does not differ from its maximum value by more than a specified amount. ([12] p. 290; [14]) (cf. Frequency, Terminology, Leonardo 7, 66 (1974) and channel, term 711) 710. Capillarity, capillary action (inphysics)-A general term for phenomena observed in liquids due to unbalanced inter-molecular attraction at the liquid boundary, e.g. in the formation of films, drops, etc. ([I21 p. 283; [14]) 712. Corten steel-A metal product developed by the U.S. Steel Corporation that possesses an appreciably increased resistance to atmospheric corrosion over that of ordinary carbon steel. On exposure it produces a protective oxide film. It is available in sheets, in plates, as rolled products, as beams, as wire rods, etc. ([12] p. 334; [M. Goalard and A. Marchais, Nos sculptures en acier CorTen , Leonardo 3, 435 (1970)l) Cosmogrammes (in visual art)-Term coined by Louise Janin for pictures that she has made by variations of the traditional marbling technique. ([12] p. 281) Density-The mass of a unit volume of a substance . Also the number of elements per unit area. ([I21 p. 283; [14]) 715. Electric arc...