Key terms & definitions

The growing division between Communist China and the Soviet Union, which became an armed border conflict in 1969.

Heating compacted powder so that its particles bond into a solid component.

A collective name for several related Native American peoples, including the Dakota and Lakota. They did not all follow the same leaders or take the same decisions.

A word or symbol placed before a unit to multiply or divide its size by a stated power of ten.

A word or symbol placed before a unit to multiply it by a stated power of ten, such as kilo ($10^3$) or milli ($10^{-3}$).

A prefix from the International System of Units that represents a power of 10, such as kilo for $10^3$.

A loud, high-power sound output device used to give a warning in alarm and security systems.

One of two identical copies of a chromosome after its DNA has been copied.

A rattling musical instrument associated with Egyptian worship. In Virgil’s Actium scene, Cleopatra uses one to signal to her forces.

A situation comedy: a television genre in which familiar characters and recurring settings provide situations that generate humour.

The physical land on which a settlement is built, including its relief, coastline and water features.

A protest in which people occupy a place, such as a segregated lunch counter, and remain there peacefully.

The location of a settlement in relation to other places and surrounding regions.

An aspect of the immediate environment or social circumstances that influences behaviour.

A contrast between what is expected and what actually happens. Recovering the treasure box appears to promise wealth, but its emptiness brings Watson happiness instead.

An ethical approach in which the most loving action in the particular circumstances guides a decision, rather than the automatic application of fixed rules.

A unit belonging to the internationally agreed International System of Units, such as the metre, kilogram and second.

A unit belonging to the International System of Units; the SI unit of time is the second (s).

A unit belonging to the International System of Units, the standard system used for scientific measurements.

The internationally standardised system of measurement, including the metre, kilogram and second.

Henry VIII’s religious legislation of 1539, which upheld important traditional Catholic teachings and practices.

The main Sunni beliefs: Allah, angels, holy books, prophets, the Day of Judgement and predestination.

A coordinate locating a point more precisely within a map-grid square using three easting digits followed by three northing digits.

Six qualities cultivated in Mahayana Buddhism: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation and wisdom.

Generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation and wisdom: virtues cultivated in Mahayana Buddhism to develop compassion and understanding and attain buddhahood.

A measurement of an object's dimensions, such as its length, area or volume.

The tendency to perceive an object as remaining the same size despite changes in the size of its retinal image as its distance changes.

A Jamaican musical style that combines a distinctive offbeat rhythm with instruments including horns and trumpets.

An aggregate, or constituent, of physical and mental experience. The five skandhas are form, sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness.

The five changing aggregates that make up a person: form, feeling or sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness. Also called khandhas.