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Cai Guo-Qiang

(Encyclopedia)Cai Guo-Qiang, 1957–, Chinese painter and a sculptor especially known for using gunpowder as a medium and explosions and fireworks as means of artistic expression, b. Quanzhou, Fujian prov., studied...

Safdie, Moshe

(Encyclopedia)Safdie, Moshe mōshāˈ säfˈdē [key], 1938–, Israeli-Canadian architect, b. Haifa. He grew up in Israel, moved to Canada with his family at 15, studied architecture at McGill Univ. and with Louis...

Zhao Ziyang

(Encyclopedia)Zhao Ziyang or Chao Tzu-yang both: zhou zēyäng [key], 1919–2005, Chinese Communist leader. He joined the party in 1938, was active as a local party leader during World War II, and by the 1960s was...

root, in mathematics

(Encyclopedia)root, in mathematics, number or quantity r for which an equation f(r)=0 holds true, where f is some function. If f is a polynomial, r is called a root of f; for example, r=3 and r=−4 are roots of th...

pi

(Encyclopedia)pi, in mathematics, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The symbol for pi is π. The ratio is the same for all circles and is approximately 3.1416. It is of great importance in...

spire

(Encyclopedia)spire, high, tapering structure crowning a tower and having a general pyramidal outline. The simplest spires were the steeply pitched timber roofs capping Romanesque towers and campaniles. In later Ro...

statistics

(Encyclopedia)statistics, science of collecting and classifying a group of facts according to their relative number and determining certain values that represent characteristics of the group. The most familiar stat...

Princeton

(Encyclopedia)Princeton, borough (1990 pop. 12,016) and surrounding township (1990 pop. 13,198), Mercer co., W central N.J.; settled late 1600s, borough inc. 1813, township est. 1838. A leading education center, it...

Ivins, Molly

(Encyclopedia)Ivins, Molly (Mary Tyler Ivins), 1944–2007, U.S. journalist and political columnist, b. Monterey, Calif., B.A. Smith College, 1966, M.A. Columbia School of Journalism, 1967. A decided liberal with a...

Irazú

(Encyclopedia)Irazú ēräso͞oˈ [key], active volcano, c.11,260 ft (3,430 m) high, central Costa Rica, E of San José. A massive volcano, Irazú erupted in 1723, destroying Cartago, and since then it has erupted ...