O glossary entries

The number of people assumed to occupy a building or space for code and life-safety design.

The relation between voltage, current, and resistance in an ideal linear conductor.

Open-loop control is control action that does not use measured output feedback to correct error between actual behaviour and a reference.

A high-gain differential amplifier used in analog signal conditioning and computation.

A dielectric waveguide that transmits light for communication, sensing, or power delivery.

Optical power is the rate at which light energy crosses a defined optical boundary.

Optimization is the mathematical and computational process of finding the values of decision variables that minimize or maximize an objective function, subject to a set of equality and inequality constraints.

Ore grade is the concentration of a valuable mineral, metal, or component in mined material.

An orifice plate is a differential-pressure flow element that restricts a pipe flow and estimates flow rate from the pressure drop.

A material with distinct properties along three mutually perpendicular directions.

Repeated variation of a system variable around an equilibrium or reference value.

Protective equipment and coordination used to interrupt current above permitted limits.

A reaction process involving loss of electrons or combination with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.