Key terms & definitions

Belief in high principles and in the possibility of a better society, even when achieving it may be difficult.

A person who hopes to create a better society by putting principles and ambitious ideas into practice.

The person someone would like to be.

A transformer model in which all the input power is transferred to the output, so its efficiency is 100%.

A transformer assumed to transfer all its input power to its output, with no energy dissipated to the surroundings.

A simplified model that highlights the defining features of something so that real examples can be compared with it.

Twins that develop when a single fertilised egg splits into two, sharing the same genome.

The process of determining which disease or pathogen is present.

The process of wanting to be like a role model, which makes adopting their behaviour more likely.

A sequence of choices based on observable features used to identify an organism.

A series of choices about observable features used to identify an organism.

The name used to identify a program item, such as a variable, record type or field.

People's sense of belonging and their understanding of who they are, shaped by experiences, traditions and relationships with others.

An equality that is true for every permissible value of its variables.

A person’s sense of who they are, shaped by factors such as culture, language, history and experience.

How someone sees themselves and how others see them, shaped by factors such as gender, ethnicity, religion and social class.

A person's sense of who they are, shaped by their characteristics, experiences, beliefs and relationships with others.

A square matrix that leaves a matrix unchanged when multiplied by it. In this course, $I=\begin{pmatrix}1&0\\0&1\end{pmatrix}$.

The symbol $\equiv$, meaning ‘identically equal to’: two expressions have the same value throughout their common domain.

Obtaining or stealing another person’s personal information and using it for personal gain.

A written sign representing an object or idea rather than the sound of a syllable.

The perspective a film offers on values and beliefs, such as whether success justifies sacrificing relationships or accepting abusive authority.

A set of beliefs about how society, government and the economy should be organised.

A set of connected beliefs about how society should be organised and governed.

A system of ideas, values and beliefs, including beliefs about what is right, desirable or normal.

A system of ideas and values through which people understand society, including assumptions about power, responsibility and behaviour.

15 March in the Roman calendar: the date against which the soothsayer warns Caesar.

An expression whose meaning is different from the literal meanings of its words, such as having a chip on one’s shoulder.

The Elizabethan label for people judged capable of working but unwilling to do so; it could unfairly include people who could not find employment.

An intermediate gear that changes the output direction without changing the overall ratio of a simple gear train.