A Dictionary of Electrical Words, Terms and Phrases, Vol. 1 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from A Dictionary of Electrical Words, Terms and Phrases, Vol. 1<br><br>The rapid growth of electrical science, and the almost daily addition to it of new words, terms and phrases, coined, as they too frequently are, in ignorance of those already existing, have led to the production of an electrical vocabulary that is already bewildering in its extent. This multiplicity of words is extremely discouraging to the student, and acts as a serious obstacle to a general dissemination of electrical knowledge, for the following reasons:<br><br>1. Because, in general, these new terms are not to be found even in the unabridged editions of dictionaries.<br><br>2. The books or magazines, in which they were first proposed, are either inaccessible to the ordinary reader, or, if accessible, are often written in phraseology unintelligible except to the expert.<br><br>3. The same terms are used by different writers in conflicting senses.<br><br>4. The same terms are used with entirely different meanings.<br><br>5. Nearly all the explanations in the technical dictionaries are extremely brief as regards the words, terms and phrases of the rapidly growing and comparatively new science of electricity.<br><br>In this era of extended newspaper and periodical publication, new words are often coined, although others, already in existence, are far better suited to express the same ideas. The new terms are used for a while and then abandoned; or, if retained, having been imperfectly defined, their exact meaning is capable of no little ambiguity; and, subsequently, they are often unfortunately adopted by different writers with such varying shades of meaning, that it is difficult to understand their true and exact significance.<br><br>Then again, old terms buried away many decades ago and long since forgotten, are dug up and presented in such new garb that their creators would most certainly fail to recognize them.<br><br>It has been with a hope of removing these difficulties to some extent that the author has ventured to present this Dictionary of Electrical Words, Terms and Phrases to his brother electricians and the public generally.<br><br>He trusts that this dictionary will be of use to electricians, not only by showing the wonderful extent and richness of the vocabulary of the science, but also by giving the general consensus of opinion as to the significance of its different words, terms or phrases. It is, however, to the general public, to whom it is not only a matter of interest but also one of necessity to fully understand the exact meaning of electrical literature, that the author believes the book will be of the greatest value.<br><br>In order to leave no doubt concerning the precise meaning of the words, terms and phrases thus defined, the following plan has been adopted of giving:<br><br>(1.) A concise definition of the word, term or phrase.<br><br>(2.) A brief statement of the principles of the science involved in the definition.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.