Key terms & definitions

A fastener used to bundle cables or secure them to a support.

Small, very fast memory that holds copies of frequently used instructions and data to reduce repeated access to RAM.

Small, very fast memory on or close to the CPU that temporarily stores copies of frequently used instructions and data, or those likely to be needed next.

An Indigenous chief in the Caribbean.

The half-human, fire-breathing son of Vulcan whom Hercules kills in Virgil’s Aeneid after he steals Hercules’ cattle.

Computer-aided design: using computer software to create, edit and communicate design drawings or models.

A Communist Party official or activist responsible for carrying out Party policies.

Hermes’ messenger’s staff, also called a kerykeion.

Ptolemy Caesar, the son of Cleopatra and Caesar, probably born in June 47 BC. His name linked the Egyptian royal dynasty with Caesar.

Cleopatra’s son, regarded as the son of Julius Caesar. His connection to Caesar created a potential rival claim to that of Caesar’s adopted heir, Octavian.

A pause within a line of poetry, often created by punctuation.

The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development: a Catholic charity that tackles poverty and injustice through overseas support and campaigning, fundraising and education in England and Wales.

A pile of stones used as a marker or memorial. In ‘Kamikaze’, the boys build these piles as a childhood game.

A mineral needed for strong bones and teeth, normal muscle contraction and blood clotting.

An estimate of the chance of harm based on statistical evidence, such as the number of cases in a large group over a stated period.

An evidence-based statistical estimate of the chance of a specified harmful outcome in a defined population over a stated period.

An estimate of the chance of harm based on data from a specified group over a specified period.

An estimate of risk based on evidence, such as observations, measured exposure and the frequency of harmful outcomes. It may still contain uncertainty.

A risk taken after considering its likelihood, possible consequences and potential benefits.

A hot room in a Roman bath building, normally containing a hot-water bath.

A large, roughly circular volcanic depression formed when the ground above a depleted magma chamber collapses.

The Roman name for northern Britain, broadly corresponding to northern parts of modern Scotland.

Pressing fabric between rollers to flatten and smooth its surface; heated rollers can also increase lustre.

A scale whose markings have been matched to known values so that it can give measurements.

Checking or adjusting an instrument against a known standard so that its readings can be trusted.

Checking or adjusting an instrument against reference samples with known values so that its readings are reliable.

Checking and adjusting an instrument using reference samples with known values, such as solutions of known pH.

Setting or checking a sensor's readings against known conditions so that its response can be interpreted appropriately.

A graph that relates instrument readings to known concentrations of a substance.

A graph relating a sensor’s readings to known values of the quantity being measured, allowing later readings to be interpreted.