(Encyclopedia) Boehme or Böhme, JakobBoehme or Böhme, Jakobbēˈmə, Ger. yäˈkôp böˈmə [key], 1575–1624, German religious mystic, a cobbler of Görlitz, in England also called Behmen. He was a student of…
(Encyclopedia) Rank, OttoRank, Ottoôtˈō rängk [key], 1884–1937, Austrian psychoanalyst; one of Sigmund Freud's first and most valued pupils. He early employed Freudian techniques to clarify the…
(Encyclopedia) Romains, JulesRomains, Juleszhül rômăNˈ [key], 1885–1972, French writer, whose original name was Louis Farigoule. A brilliant student of philosophy, he became known as the chief…
(Encyclopedia) mutation, in biology, a sudden, random change in a gene, or unit of hereditary material, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any…
(Encyclopedia) induction, in electricity and magnetism, common name for three distinct phenomena. Electromagnetic induction is the production of an electromotive force (emf) in a conductor as a…
(Encyclopedia) James, William, 1842–1910, American philosopher, b. New York City, M.D. Harvard, 1869; son of the Swedenborgian theologian Henry James and brother of the novelist Henry James. In 1872…
(Encyclopedia) magic, in religion and superstition, the practice of manipulating and controlling the course of nature by preternatural means. Magic is based upon the belief that the universe is…
(Encyclopedia) ultraviolet radiation, invisible electromagnetic radiation between visible violet light and X rays; it ranges in wavelength from about 400 to 4 nanometers and in frequency from about…
(Encyclopedia) dielectricdielectricdīˌĭlĕkˈtrĭk [key], material that does not conduct electricity readily, i.e., an insulator (see insulation). A good dielectric should also have other properties: It…
(Encyclopedia) Compton effect [for A. H. Compton], increase in the wavelengths of X rays and gamma rays when they collide with and are scattered from loosely bound electrons in matter. This effect…
