Glossary
Terms starting with R
190 definitions · page 1 of 4.
- R-VALUE
- A unit of thermal resistance used for comparing insulating values of different material. It is basically a measure of the effectiveness of insulation in stopping heat flow. The higher the R-value number, a material, the greater its insulating properties and…
- RAD
- A unit of measure of absorbed radiation. Acronym for radiation absorbed dose. One rad equals 100 ergs of radiation energy per gram of absorbing material.
- Radial Faceplate CRT
- With the radial faceplate CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), the radial faceplate picture tubes combined with a short-throw lens system permits the depth of certain projection TV cabinets to be reduced. The CRT's curved faceplate focuses the light beam in the centre of…
- radial velocity
- the velocity of an object toward or away from an observer
- radiant
- 1. the point in the sky from which the meteors belonging to a meteor shower appear to originate2. vividly bright and shining
- RADIANT BARRIER
- A device designed to reduce or stop the flow of radiant energy.
- Radiant Cut
- Radiant refers to a cutting style in which diamonds and other gems are into a square or rectangle that has clipped-off corners. A radiant cut is similar to an Emerald Cut.
- RADIANT ENERGY
- Energy transferred by the exchange of electromagnetic waves from a hot or warm object to one that is cold or cooler. Direct contact with the object is not necessary for the heat transfer to occu.
- RADIATION
- The flow of energy across open space via electromagnetic waves such as light. Passage of heat from one object to another without warming the air space in between.
- radiation
- electromagnetic waves (in astronomical usage)
- radiation pressure
- a very small amount of pressure exerted on a surface by light or other electromagnetic radiation
- Radicchio
- A member of the chicory family sometimes known as red chicory, radicchio has distinctive pink-red leaves with white veins and a bitter peppery taste. It's generally used in salads mixed with other salad leaves.
- radio galaxy
- a galaxy that emits an unusually large amount of radio waves
- radio telescope
- a telescope designed to detect radio waves coming from space
- radio waves
- the form of light with the longest wavelength and the least energy
- radiometer
- a device that measures the total energy or power from an object in the form of radiation, especially infrared radiation
- Ragout
- A French stew of meat, poultry, fish or vegetables. 'Ragout' (ragù in Italian) is French for stew but the term can also refer to a sauce.
- ragtime
- A type of popular American music, usually for piano, that arose around 1900 and contributed to the emergence of jazz.
- RAID
- Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks. Type of disk, often used on servers, where several physical disks are combined into an array for better speed and fault tolerance. Level 0 implements data striping where file blocks are written to…
- Raised pie
- A pork, ham or game pie moulded entirely from hot water crust pastry - top crust, walls and bottom. It can be served hot or cold and is ideal for taking on picnics.
- Rambutan
- A relation of the lychee, but slightly bigger in size, this exotic fruit has a brown leathery skin with soft red spines and a white, translucent flesh that resembles the lychee in taste and texture.
- range
- The pitch distance between the lowest note and the highest note of an instrument, a composition, or an individual part.
- Rank Order Number
- The number that Kentucky Consular Center gives to the entries of DV Program (lottery) as the computer selects them. The first entries chosen have the lowest numbers. The Visa Office of the Department of State gives winning entries a chance to apply for…
- RANKINE CYCLE
- The steam-Rankine cycle employing steam turbines has been the mainstay of utility thermal electric power generation for many years. The cycle, as developed over the years uses superheat, reheat and regeneration. Modern steam Rankine systems operate at a…
- Ras-el-hanout
- A Moroccan dried-spice mixture. The mixture can be used in couscous, rice, meat and vegetable dishes; as with garam masala, the mixture of spices in ras-el-hanout depends on the maker and the spices available, but may include a wide variety of spices, such…
- Ratafia biscuits
- Light biscuits made with almond essence, very similar to the Italian amaretti biscuit but usually smaller and a little darker in colour. They can be used in trifles or crumbled into puddings or served after dinner with coffee.
- Ratatouille
- A rich vegetable Provençal stew, made from aubergines, courgettes, sweet peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic simmered in olive oil with herbs. It can be eaten hot or cold, as a main course or served as an accompaniment to meat dishes. It also makes a good…
- RATE
- The cost of a unit of insurance, usually per $1,000. Rates are based on historical loss experience for similar risks and may be regulated by state insurance offices.
- RATE REGULATION
- The process by which states monitor insurance companies’ rate changes, done either through prior approval or open competition models. (See Open competition states; Prior approval states)
- RATE-BASING
- refers to practice by utilities of allotting funds invested in utility Research Development Demonstration and Commercialization and other programs from ratepayers, as opposed to allocating these costs to shareholders.
- RATING AGENCIES
- Six major credit agencies determine insurers’ financial strength and viability to meet claims obligations. They are A.M. Best Co.; Duff & Phelps Inc.; Fitch, Inc.; Moody’s Investors Services; Standard & Poor’s Corp.; and Weiss Ratings, Inc. Factors…
- RATING BUREAU
- The insurance business is based on the spread of risk. The more widely risk is spread, the more accurately loss can be estimated. An insurance company can more accurately estimate the probability of loss on 100,000 homes than on ten. Years ago, insurers were…
- RAW FUEL
- Coal, natural gas, wood or other fuel that is used in the form in which it is found in nature, without chemical processing.
- Raw Logs
- Raw access data updated in real-time that can be downloaded and used by any statistics program. Typically each line show the user's IP, date and time of the access, what kind of request was done, which document was requested, HTTP status code, bytes…
- RDF (REFUSE DERIVED FUEL)
- The fuel component of municipal solid waste (MSW), which is the by-product of shredding MSW to a uniform size, screening out oversized materials and isolating ferrous material in magnetic separation. The resulting RDF can be burned as a fuel source.
- Re-entry Permit
- A travel document that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issues to lawful permanent residents (LPRs) who want to stay outside of the U.S. for more than one year and less than two years. LPRs who cannot get a passport from their country of nationality…
- REACTOR
- A device in which a controlled nuclear chain reaction can be maintained, producing heat energy.
- REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS
- Investments generally owned by life insurers that include commercial mortgage loans and real property.
- Real Time Counter
- A digital tape counter in VCRs, DVDs, DVD/VCR combos and camcorders that indicates elapsed time in terms of actual hours, minutes and seconds.
- REAL-TIME MARKET
- The competitive generation market controlled and coordinated by the ISO for arranging real-time imbalance energy.
- REAL-TIME PRICING
- The instantaneous pricing of electricity based on the cost of the electricity available for use at the time the electricity is demanded by the customer.
- Rear Channel Preamp Output
- This feature allows you to connect the sound from the rear channel to a separate power amplifier, for more amplification or further processing.
- recapitulation
- The third principal section of a movement in sonata form whose function is to resolve the harmonic conflicts set up in the exposition and development.
- Receipt Notice
- A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) form Notice of Action, I-797, which says that the DHS has received a petition.
- RECEIVABLES
- Amounts owed to a business for goods or services provided.
- Reciprocal links
- links between two sites, often based on an agreement by the site owners to exchange links.
- recitative
- A flexible style of vocal delivery employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata and tailored to the accents and rhythms of the text.
- RECLAIMED OIL
- Lubricating oil that is processed to be used over again.
- RECOOL
- The sensible cooling of air that has been previously heated by HVAC systems serving the same building. [See California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Section 2-5302]
- RECOVERED ENERGY
- Reused heat or energy that otherwise would be lost. For example, a combined cycle power plant recaptures some of its own waste heat and reuses it to make extra electric power.
- RECOVERY EFFICIENCY
- (Thermal efficiency) Ia water heater, a measure of the percentage of heat from the combustion of gas which is transferred to the water as measured under specified test conditions. California Code of Regulations, Section 2- 1602(e)(7).
- Recruiters
- Professionals who are hired to find suitable candidates for positions with a specific company. They approach potential candidates in order to make them aware of the available position. More often than not, candidates are currently employed by competing…
- red dwarf
- a low-mass, main-sequence star much smaller, cooler, and less luminous than the sun
- Red Eye Reduction
- Some cameras with red eye reduction have a small bright red light, located on the front of the camera, that turns on when the shutter button is first depressed. The eye's iris will close in response to this light, making the opening in the eye smaller. The…
- red giant
- a cool star near the end of its life cycle that has expanded to a size of a few dozen to a hundred times the diameter of the sun
- red supergiant
- a cool, massive star near the end of its life that has expanded to a size from a hundred to a thousand times the diameter of the sun
- REDLINING
- Literally means to draw a red line on a map around areas to receive special treatment. Refusal to issue insurance based solely on where applicants live is illegal in all states. Denial of insurance must be risk-based.
- redshift
- an increase in the wavelength of light coming from an object due to its motion away from Earth, the expansion of the universe, or a strong gravitational field
- Reduce
- To evaporate by fast boiling a flavoured liquid, such as a sauce or syrup, in order to concentrate the flavour or to thicken it.
- reduction
- The compression of a complex, multi-stave score onto one or two staves.