shelf force
| reserve force | The energy residing in the organism or any of its parts above that required for its normal functioning. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| centrifugal force | <physics> The apparent force which seems to pull an object outward when the object is spun around in a circle. In reality, it is the centripetal force which keeps the object rotating around in the circle when the object's inertia makes the object inclined to move in a straight tangential line away from the circle. The centrifugal force does not really exist and, in a strictly physical sense, the term is a misnomer. However, the term is useful to biologists and chemists who are using centrifuges. (13 Nov 1997) |
| chewing force | force of mastication |
| gravitational force | <physics> Force which attracts two bodies together based on the product of their masses and the reciprocal of the square of their distances. Gravity is the force field created by one massive body (like the earth) which another body (like you) will experience. (09 Oct 1997) |
| microscopy, atomic force | Microscopy in which a probe systematically rides across the surface of a sample being scanned in a raster pattern. The vertical position is recorded as a spring attached to the probe rises and falls in response to peaks and valleys on the surface. A microcomputer keeps track of the vertical excursions as a function of the position of the probe in the horizontal plane and presents the sample's image. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cohesive force | <physics> An intermolecular force between like molecules, important in the phenomenon of surface tension. (09 Oct 1997) |
| component of force | One of the factors from which a resultant force may be compounded or into which it may be resolved, one of the vectors into which a force may be resolved. (05 Mar 2000) |
| coriolis force | The apparent deflection (coriolis acceleration) of a body in motion with respect to the earth, as seen by an observer on the earth, attributed to a fictitious force (coriolis force) but actually caused by the rotation of the earth. In a medical context it refers to the physiological effects (nausea, vertigo, dizziness, etc.) felt by a person moving radially in a rotating system, as a rotating space station. (12 Dec 1998) |
| coulomb's force | <radiobiology> See Coulomb's Law. Synonym: electrostatic force. (09 Oct 1997) |
| proton-motive force | Energy that is generated by the transfer of protons or electrons across an energy-transducing membrane and that can be used for chemical, osmotic, or mechanical work. Proton-motive force can be generated by a variety of phenomena including the operation of an electron transport chain, illumination of a purple membrane, and the hydrolysis of ATP by a proton atpase. (12 Dec 1998) |
| psychic force | In psychoanalysis, a hypothetical mental force, analogous to the physical concept of energy, which enables and vitalises an individual's psychological activity. See: libido. Synonym: psychic force. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nerve force | An obsolete terms denoting the property of nerve tissue to conduct stimuli. (05 Mar 2000) |
| dispersion force | Forces of attraction between atoms or nonpolar molecules that result from the formation of induced dipoles. Sometimes referred to as London dispersion forces. Important in the DLVO theory of colloid flocculation and thus in theories of cell adhesion. (18 Nov 1997) |
| dynamic force | <radiobiology> Typically defined as the ability to do work. Power is the rate at which work is done, or the rate at which energy is changed. Work characterises the degree to which the properties of a substance are transformed. Energy exists in many forms, which can be converted from one to another in various ways. Examples include: gravitational energy, electrical energy, magnetic and electric field energy, atomic binding energy (a form of electrical energy really), nuclear binding energy, chemical energy (another form of electrical energy), in addition to these forms of potential energy there are also kinetic energy (energy due to motion), and thermal energy (heat, a form of kinetic energy where the motion is due to thermal vibrations/motions), and so on. (09 Oct 1997) |
| occlusal force | The result of muscular force applied on opposing teeth. (05 Mar 2000) |