Key terms & definitions

Legal rights to own or occupy property. Insecure rights mean that continued occupation is not reliably protected.

A prediction about what will happen in the future, often presented as coming from supernatural knowledge.

A prediction of a future event, often delivered by a seer.

A message believed to come from God through a prophet; it may include promises or warnings about the future.

Meetings of Protestant clergy to pray and discuss religious teaching. Elizabeth I regarded these meetings as a challenge to her control of the Church and ordered their suppression.

A person who communicates God’s message to people.

A woman believed to communicate prophetic or divine knowledge.

The belief that Allah chooses prophets to communicate his guidance to humanity.

One part expressed relative to the whole, commonly as a fraction, decimal or percentage.

A quantity written as a fraction or share of a whole.

The amount of one component compared with the amounts of the other components in a mixture.

A relationship in which quantities change by the same multiplicative factor.

The share of a total made up by one part, often expressed as a fraction or percentage.

The fraction or percentage of a group that has a specified characteristic.

The fraction of a group with a particular characteristic, calculated by dividing the number with that characteristic by the total number in the group.

A comparison of a part with the whole, often expressed as a fraction or percentage.

An arrow whose size represents the quantity of a flow according to a key.

A change in which the same multiplier is applied to every value, so the quantities remain in a constant ratio.

A circle whose area is scaled in proportion to the quantity it represents.

A map showing flows between locations, with line widths proportional to the quantities represented and arrows indicating direction.

The principle that the force used in war must not be excessive in relation to its justified aim.

A response that is appropriate to the seriousness of a problem and does not impose excessive restrictions.

The symbol $\propto$, meaning “is proportional to”. It must be replaced by an equals sign and a constant of proportionality before values are calculated.

An electoral system in which parties receive seats broadly in proportion to the votes they win.

An electoral system in which seats are allocated in proportion to the votes received.

An electoral approach intended to give parties a share of seats closely matching their share of votes.

A symbol whose size represents the quantity at a location; for proportional circles, area is proportional to the value.

A map using symbols whose areas are proportional to the quantities represented at particular locations.

Symbols whose sizes represent quantities. For proportional circles or squares, symbol area is proportional to the value represented.

Force that is limited in relation to the threat or harm being addressed, rather than excessive.