Key terms & definitions

The extent to which an action achieves its intended aims.

The principle that a colonial power needed to establish authority in a territory to support its claim against rival powers, rather than merely raise a flag.

A muscle or gland that produces a response when it receives a signal.

A muscle or gland that carries out a response: a muscle contracts, while a gland secretes a substance such as a hormone.

The formation of visible bubbles as a gas is produced in a liquid.

Bubbling or fizzing caused by gas being released from a liquid.

A sign that brings about the spiritual effect it signifies, rather than merely representing it.

How well a drug produces its intended medical effect.

How effectively a drug produces its intended treatment effect.

How effectively a product produces its intended benefit under the conditions in which it is used.

The fraction of the total input energy or power that is transferred usefully.

The fraction of the total energy input that is transferred usefully by a device or system.

How well a business uses its resources to produce goods or provide services, avoiding wasted materials, time and money.

How economically a program uses resources to complete its task, assessed through measures such as comparisons, loop passes and memory use.

Achieving the intended result with minimal wasted energy or unnecessary movement.

The proportion of input work transferred into useful output work, commonly expressed as a percentage. For a mechanism, $\text{efficiency} = \frac{MA}{VR} \times 100\%$.

Something that brings about an effect, rather than merely describing its purpose or what it is made from.

Using time, materials, energy and other resources effectively, with minimal waste.

The liquid that remains above the settled sludge after sedimentation.

The liquid separated from sewage sludge during sedimentation, which still requires further treatment.

The input force applied to a lever.

The force applied to move a lever, usually supplied by a contracting muscle in the body.

The input force applied to a mechanism.

The attempt to make sense of remembered fragments, often by changing or filling in details to fit existing knowledge and expectations.

The distance from the fulcrum to the point where the effort is applied on a basic lever drawing.

The distance from a lever’s fulcrum to the point where the effort is applied.

An eruption in which lava flows relatively gently onto the surface rather than being violently blasted out.

Expressing the idea that people are equal.

A family in which members have relatively equal power and partners share responsibilities and decision-making.

The belief that men and women have equal worth and should share authority, with family responsibilities determined by needs and abilities rather than fixed by sex.