fertilization: Sperm-egg association: …spermatozoa undergo physiological change, called capacitation, which is a prerequisite for their participation in fertilization; they are able to undergo the acrosome reaction, traverse the egg envelopes, and reach the interior of the egg. Dispersal of cells in the outer egg envelope (corona radiata) is caused by the action of…

reactance: Capacitive reactance, on the other hand, is associated with the changing electric field between two conducting surfaces (plates) separated from each other by an insulating medium. Such a set of conductors, a capacitor, essentially opposes changes in voltage, or potential difference, across its plates. A…

capacitor, device for storing electrical energy, consisting of two conductors in close proximity and insulated from each other. A simple example of such a storage device is the parallel-plate capacitor. If positive charges with total charge +Q are deposited on one of the conductors and an equal

capacitor dielectric and piezoelectric ceramics, advanced industrial materials that, by virtue of their poor electrical conductivity, are useful in the production of electrical storage or generating devices. Capacitors are devices that store electric energy in the form of an electric field

electric motor: Capacitor induction motor: This motor is similar to the three-phase motor except that it has only two windings (a-a′ and b-b′) on its stator displaced 90° from each other. The a-a′ winding is connected directly to the single-phase supply. For starting, the b-b′ winding (commonly…

microphone: microphone), in electrostatic capacitance (condenser microphone), in the motion of a coil (dynamic microphone) or conductor (ribbon microphone) in a magnetic field, or in the twisting or bending of a piezoelectric crystal (crystal microphone). In each case, motion of the diaphragm produces a variation in the electric output. By…

capacitance, property of an electric conductor, or set of conductors, that is measured by the amount of separated electric charge that can be stored on it per unit change in electrical potential. Capacitance also implies an associated storage of electrical energy. If electric charge is transferred

list of weights and measures: Units of capacity:

production system: Important considerations: …a choice of technology, the capacity of the system must be determined. The capacity of the system is designed to be a function of the amount of available capital, the demand forecast for the output of the facility, and many other minor factors. Again, these decisions must be made wisely.…

philosophy of biology: Teleology: …such efforts were the “capacity” approach and the “etiological” approach, developed by the American philosophers Robert Cummins and Larry Wright, respectively.

capacity building, activities through which vested parties (individuals, organizations, communities, or nation-states) develop the ability to effectively take part in politics or other forms of collective action. The underlying assumption is that by enhancing appropriate skills, attitudes, and

electric generator: Generator rating: The capacity rating of the machine differs from its shaft power because of two factors—namely, the power factor and the efficiency. The power factor is the ratio of the real power delivered to the electrical load divided by the total voltage–current product for all phases. The…

insurance: Contract law: The requirement of capacity to contract usually means that the individual obtaining insurance must be of a minimum age and must be legally competent; the contract will not hold if the insured is found to be insane or intoxicated or if the insured is a corporation operating outside…

standing to sue, in law, the requirement that a person who brings a suit be a proper party to request adjudication of the particular issue involved. The test traditionally applied was whether the party had a personal stake in the outcome of the controversy presented and whether the dispute touched

Chapayevsk, city, Samara oblast (province), western Russia, on the Chapayevka River, a tributary of the Volga. Formerly a centre of the defense industry specializing in explosives, it now concentrates on nitrogen production and ammonia synthesis. A college of technology is located in the city. Pop.

Bingöl, city in eastern Turkey. It lies along the Göniksuyu River, a tributary of the Murat River. The city takes its name (bin, “thousand,” and göl, “lakes”) from numerous small lakes that dot the Bingöl Mountains to the northeast. Once part of the Assyrian empire, the region was added to the

Traffic: …Worcester, Worcestershire, England), and drummer Jim Capaldi (b. August 2, 1944, Evesham, Worcestershire—d. January 28, 2005, London).

Traffic: …Worcester, Worcestershire, England), and drummer Jim Capaldi (b. August 2, 1944, Evesham, Worcestershire—d. January 28, 2005, London).

Orinoco River: Physiography of the Orinoco: including the Meta, Arauca, and Capanaparo rivers. The Apure River contributes waters from numerous Andean streams, which form a swampy maze in their lower courses.

Attilio Bertolucci: …moved to Rome and published La capanna indiana (1951; revised and enlarged, 1955, 1973; “The Indian Hut”), which discusses his struggle for peace and privacy in a turbulent world. The work earned Bertolucci the Premio Viareggio, one of Italy’s most prestigious literary awards, in 1951. La camera da letto (1984;…

Capannori, commune comprising 38 small localities in Toscana (Tuscany) region, central Italy. Capannori village is a market centre, with paper mills and button and paint factories. The parish church has a 13th-century facade and a Lombardesque campanile. The church of Sta. Margherita dates in part

Bayamón: Puerto Rico’s first settlement, Caparra, was founded in the area in 1508 by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. Bayamón was established as a town in 1772. It manufactures clothing, furniture, automotive parts, metal products, firearms, household goods, and food products. Bayamón Central University was founded in 1970,…

metalwork: Italy: …famous was the late-15th-century craftsman Niccolo Grosso of Florence, nicknamed “Il Caparra” because he gave no credit but insisted on money on account. From his hand is the well-known lantern on the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, repeated with variations elsewhere in the same city. Siena has lanterns and banner holders…

Casimir effect: …Munday and Italian American physicist Federico Capasso first observed the repulsive Casimir effect between a gold-plated polystyrene sphere and a silica plate immersed in bromobenzene. The attractive Casimir effect can cause parts of nanomachines to stick together, and use of the repulsive Casimir effect has been proposed as a solution…

mussel: The capax horse mussel (Modiolus capax) has a bright orange-brown shell under a thick periostracum; its range in the Pacific Ocean extends from California to Peru. The Atlantic ribbed mussel (Modiolus demissus), which has a thin, strong, yellowish brown shell, occurs from Nova Scotia to the…

Francisco Romero: …who reputedly invented the bullfighter’s muleta, a red cape used in conjunction with the sword. With it the matador leads the bull through the most spectacular passes of the bullfight, finally leading it to lower its head, so that the matador may thrust the sword between the bull’s shoulders. Romero…

Ceduna: …of fauna, including the rare Cape Barren goose. Pop. (2006) 3,572; (2011) 3,480.

Tasmanian Aboriginal people: …focus for this community became Cape Barren Island, on which in 1881 a reserve was established for “half-castes,” the official designation for mixed-race individuals, who were discriminated against even as their Aboriginal identity was negated (the Cape Barren Island Reserve Act of 1912 , for example, identified the islanders as…

Tasmanian Aboriginal people: …Act of 1912 , for example, identified the islanders as a distinct people requiring special regulation by the government but did not recognize them as Aboriginal people).

Cape Breton Highlands, forested upland, northernmost Nova Scotia, Canada, on Cape Breton Island. The highlands, which occupy a large peninsula bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the west, are the most prominent physical feature of Nova Scotia. Rising abruptly

Cape Breton Highlands National Park, park on Cape Breton Island, in northern Nova Scotia, Canada, that was established in 1936, when 367 square miles (951 square km) of the island’s northern section were reserved for public use. It lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and

Cape Breton Island, northeastern portion of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is separated from the remainder of the province and the Canadian mainland by the 2-mile- (3-km-) wide Strait of Canso (southwest) and is further bounded by the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Cabot Strait (north), the Atlantic Ocean (east

Cape buffalo, (Syncerus caffer caffer), the largest and most formidable of Africa’s wild bovids (family Bovidae) and a familiar sight to visitors of African parks and reserves. The Cape buffalo is the only member of the buffalo and cattle tribe (Bovini) that occurs naturally in Africa. (The forest,

Cape Canaveral: …landing facility, a visitors’ centre, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and a space vehicle assembly building 525 feet (160 metres) tall with 8 acres (3 hectares) of floor area—now occupies much more than the cape itself. It extends 34 miles (55 km) from north to south and is 10 miles…

African cypress: Clanwilliam cedar, or Cape cedar (W. cedarbergensis), is a tree 6 to 18 metres (20 to 59 feet) tall with wide-spreading branches that is found in the Cederberg Mountains of Western Cape province, South Africa; the species is also listed as critically endangered.

Guy Butler: …Root or Die (1966), and Cape Charade (1967). Stranger to Europe (1952) contains some of Butler’s first poetry. Other poetry volumes include Selected Poems (1975; rev. ed., 1989), Songs and Ballads (1978), and Pilgrimage to Dias Cross (1987). In 1989 he edited (with Jeff Opland) The Magic Tree, a collection…

Cape Coast, town in the center of the seaboard of Ghana. It lies on a low promontory jutting into the Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean about 75 miles (120 km) southwest of the Ghanaian capital of Accra. In the 15th century the Portuguese established a post on the site, and in the 16th century

Cape Coast Castle, fortified castle at Cape Coast, Ghana, that is one of the biggest and best-preserved of the slave castles along the coast of West Africa. It began in 1555 as a Portuguese trading post called Cabo Corso (“Short Cape”), from which it got its name. The original timber building was

Cape Cod Canal, artificial waterway in southeastern Massachusetts, U.S. A part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, it joins Cape Cod Bay (northeast) with the waters of Buzzards Bay (southwest) and traverses the narrow isthmus of Cape Cod. The canal is 17.5 miles (28 km) long, including its

Cape Cod National Seashore, protected area of shoreline, natural habitats, and historically significant structures on Cape Cod, eastern Massachusetts, U.S. The seashore was established in 1966 and comprises 68 square miles (176 square km) of beaches, ponds, marshes, dunes, and woodlands extending

Provincetown, town (township), Barnstable county, eastern Massachusetts, U.S., at the northern tip of Cape Cod. It is located among sand dunes within a fishhook-shaped harbour that was visited by the explorers Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602 and Henry Hudson in 1609. Before the Pilgrims founded

Cape Colony, British colony established in 1806 in what is now South Africa. With the formation of the Union of South Africa (1910), the colony became the province of the Cape of Good Hope (also called Cape Province). For more detail, see Cape

Coloured, a person of mixed European (“white”) and African (“Black”) or Asian ancestry, as officially defined by the South African apartheid government from 1950 to 1991. Individuals assigned to this classification originated primarily from 18th- and 19th-century unions between men of higher and

Cape Coral, city, Lee county, southwestern Florida, U.S. It is situated on a broad peninsula pointing southward, with Fort Myers just to the northeast across the estuary of the Caloosahatchee River and Pine Island (and the Gulf of Mexico beyond) to the west across the strait known as Matlacha Pass.

Cape Dezhnyov, cape, extreme eastern Russia. Cape Dezhnyov is the easternmost point of the Chukchi Peninsula and of the entire Eurasian landmass. It is separated from Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska by the Bering Strait. The Russian name was given in 1879 in honour of a Russian explorer S.I.

Cape Dezhnyov, cape, extreme eastern Russia. Cape Dezhnyov is the easternmost point of the Chukchi Peninsula and of the entire Eurasian landmass. It is separated from Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska by the Bering Strait. The Russian name was given in 1879 in honour of a Russian explorer S.I.

Cape Town: Climate: …referred to as the “Cape doctor” because they keep air pollution at a low level.

Afrikaans language, West Germanic language of South Africa, developed from 17th-century Dutch, sometimes called Netherlandic, by the descendants of European (Dutch, German, and French) colonists, indigenous Khoisan peoples, and African and Asian slaves in the Dutch colony at the Cape of Good Hope.

eland: The common, or Cape, eland (T. oryx) ranges over the woodlands, plains, mountains, and subdeserts of eastern and southern Africa. The eland is the largest of all antelopes.

Cape emerald, gem-quality prehnite (not emerald). See

Battle of Guadalcanal: The Battles of the Eastern Solomons, Cape Esperance, and Santa Cruz: In the ensuing Battle of Cape Esperance, the Japanese lost the heavy cruiser Furutaka and the destroyer Fubuki, while the Americans lost the destroyer USS Duncan.

Saul Bass: Scorsese’s Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991), and Casino (1995).

Cape Fear, American thriller film, released in 1962, that was a suspenseful tale of revenge, especially noted for Robert Mitchum’s chilling performance. (Read Martin Scorsese’s Britannica essay on film preservation.) Gregory Peck portrayed Sam Bowden, a defense attorney who, along with his family,

Cape Fear River, river in central and southeastern North Carolina, U.S., formed by the confluence of the Deep and Haw rivers along the boundary between Chatham and Lee counties. It flows generally southeast past Fayetteville, Elizabethtown, and Wilmington and enters the Atlantic Ocean at Southport,

file snake: …feet) in total length, the Cape file snake (G. capensis) of central Africa is one of the largest species. It preys regularly on snakes, including cobras and puff adders. The elephant-trunk snake (Acrochordus arafurae), which is also commonly known as the Arafura file snake, is an unrelated nonvenomous species that…

Cape Flats, low, sandy area extending inland from the peninsular Cape of Good Hope, Western Cape province, South Africa, and occupying most of the isthmus between Table Bay and False Bay. In relatively recent geologic times, the flats were under the sea. Once covered by low bushes, the area was

fynbos, scrubland plant community found along a narrow strip of the extreme southern coast of South Africa, composed of many species of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs, especially plants of the family Proteaceae. Fynbos ecosystems, part of the greater Cape floristic region, include more than 8,500

fox: Classification: chama (Cape fox, South African silver fox, or chama) Long-eared fox inhabiting dry areas of Southern Africa, particularly in the Kalahari desert region; weight 4 kg, body length usually less than 60 cm; coat gray. V. corsac (corsac, or steppe, fox) Small and social steppe-dwelling fox

bat-eared fox, (species Otocyon megalotis), large-eared fox, belonging to the dog family (Canidae), found in open, arid areas of eastern and southern Africa. It has 48 teeth, 6 more than any other canid. The bat-eared fox is like the red fox in appearance but has unusually large ears. It is

Cape Frontier Wars, (1779–1879), 100 years of intermittent warfare between the Cape colonists and the Xhosa agricultural and pastoral peoples of the Eastern Cape, in South Africa. One of the most prolonged struggles by African peoples against European intrusion, it ended in the annexation of Xhosa

fur seal: …metres (4–6 feet), but the South African, or Cape, fur seal (A. pusillus) and the Australian fur seal (A. pusillus doriferus) grow to lengths and weights of about 2.5 metres (8 feet) and 300 kg in the male, 1.8 metres and 120 kg (265 pounds) in the female. Like the…

gannet: …smaller southern species are the Cape gannet (M. capensis), which breeds on islands off South Africa, and the Australian (or Australasian) gannet (M. serrator), which breeds around Tasmania and New Zealand.

Cape Girardeau, city, Cape Girardeau county, southeastern Missouri, U.S. It lies along the Mississippi River (there bridged to Illinois) at the southeast edge of the Ozark Plateau, 100 miles (160 km) south of St. Louis. Established before 1793 by the French Canadian Louis Lorimier, it was named for

Cape gooseberry, (Physalis peruviana), species of ground cherry in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) and its edible fruit. The plant is native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru and was widely grown in South Africa beginning in the 19th century, which is likely the source of its common name. It is

Cape Hatteras National Seashore, scenic coastal area situated on Bodie, Hatteras, and Ocracoke islands along the Outer Banks, eastern North Carolina, U.S. The park, the country’s first national seashore, was authorized in 1937 and established in 1953. It has a total area of 47 square miles (122

Eugenie Clark: …year it was renamed the Mote Marine Laboratory. The year the lab was built, Clark was asked by a cancer researcher to capture some sharks so he could study their livers; that led to the creation of a pen for live sharks at the site. In 1958 Clark undertook research…

African wild dog, (Lycaon pictus), wild African carnivore that differs from the rest of the members of the dog family (Canidae) in having only four toes on each foot. Its coat is short, sparse, and irregularly blotched with yellow, black, and white. The African wild dog is about 76–102 cm (30–41

Nauset, any member of an Algonquian-speaking Native North American tribe that occupied most of what is now Cape Cod, in Massachusetts. The Nauset probably came into contact with Europeans at an early date because of their location, and Samuel de Champlain is known to have encountered them in 1606.

Cape May, city, Cape May county, at the southern tip of New Jersey, U.S. Originally called Cape Island, it was renamed in 1869 for the Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who visited there in 1623. It is the oldest beach resort in the nation, dating to the beginning of the 19th century; in the

waxplant: Major species: …and are sometimes known as wax vines. Porcelain flower (Hoya carnosa) has several cultivated varieties with white to rosy-pink flowers; one such variety, the Hindu rope vine, has twisted distorted leaves that may be variegated cream, yellow, and pink. The miniature waxplant (H. lanceolata bella) is more compact and has…

gardenia: Cape jasmine (Gardenia jasminoides), native to China, is the fragrant species sold by florists and grown as an ornamental.

spring hare, (Pedetes capensis), a bipedal grazing rodent indigenous to Africa. About the size of a rabbit, the spring hare more closely resembles a giant jerboa in having a short round head, a thick muscular neck, very large eyes, and long, narrow upright ears. Like jerboas, it has short forelegs

Cape Krusenstern National Monument, undeveloped wilderness area in northwestern Alaska, U.S., on the treeless coast of the Chukchi Sea. It is part of a string of national parks, monuments, and preserves north of the Arctic Circle that stretches eastward for hundreds of miles; Noatak National

Cape Lookout National Seashore, scenic coastal area on the barrier islands of the southern Outer Banks, eastern North Carolina, U.S. The national seashore, created in 1966, has an area of 44 square miles (114 square km). The three islands—North Core Banks, South Core Banks, and Shackleford

lyretail: The Cape Lopez lyretail (A. australe), one of the first species to be imported, is a popular aquarium fish, as are the others. Lyretails belong to the killifish (q.v.) group.

Coloured: A Muslim minority, the so-called Cape Malays, lived mostly in separate communities and married among themselves for religious reasons.

mastic: Cape mastic is the product of Euryops multifidus, the resin bush—a plant of the aster family (Asteraceae). Dammar resin is sometimes sold under the name of mastic and comes from a number of Asian trees. The West Indian mastic tree is Bursera gummifera (Burseraceae), and…

World War II: Central Europe and the Balkans, 1940–41: …Belgrade coup d’état, the decisive Battle of Cape Matapan took place between the British and Italian fleets in the Mediterranean, off the Peloponnesian mainland northwest of Crete. Hitherto, Italo-British naval hostilities in the Mediterranean area since June 1940 had comprised only one noteworthy action: the sinking in November at the…

Cape May, city, Cape May county, at the southern tip of New Jersey, U.S. Originally called Cape Island, it was renamed in 1869 for the Dutch explorer Cornelius Jacobsen Mey, who visited there in 1623. It is the oldest beach resort in the nation, dating to the beginning of the 19th century; in the

Cape May, county, extreme southern New Jersey, U.S. It consists of a low-lying peninsula bordered by Delaware Bay and West Creek to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Tuckahoe River and Great Egg Harbor to the north. Offshore sandbars along the eastern coast create numerous bay

Liberia: …which founded a colony at Cape Mesurado in 1821. In 1824 the territory was named Liberia, and its main settlement was named Monrovia, which is the present-day capital. Liberian independence was proclaimed in 1847, and its boundaries were expanded. The country enjoyed relative stability until a rebellion in 1989 escalated…

zebra: zebra zebra (Cape Mountain zebra).

Cape Province, former province of South Africa, occupying the southern extremity of the African continent. Prior to the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the area was known as the Cape Colony. Cape Province comprised all of southern and western South Africa. It was the largest of

Cape of Good Hope: …which is part of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (established 1939) that encompasses the southern tip of the peninsula. There is a lighthouse on Cape Point about 1.2 miles (2 km) east of the Cape of Good Hope.

Jean Cocteau: Heritage and youth: …Le Cap de Bonne-Espérance (1919; The Cape of Good Hope). At intervals during the years 1916 and 1917, Cocteau entered the world of modern art, then being born in Paris; in the bohemian Montparnasse section of the city, he met painters such as Pablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani and writers…

Harper, town and Atlantic Ocean port, southeastern Liberia, West Africa. It is situated on Cape Palmas. The cape was settled (1833) by a group of North American freed slaves sponsored by the Maryland Colonization Society. In 1857 troubles with the local Grebo people led the colony to request

African penguin, (Spheniscus demersus), species of penguin (order Sphenisciformes) characterized by a single band of black feathers cutting across the breast and a circle of featherless skin that completely surrounds each eye. The species is so named because it inhabits several locations along the

Cape Photographic Durchmusterung (CPD), star catalog listing 454,875 stars of the 11th magnitude or brighter between 18° south declination and the south celestial pole. The CPD was a southern-sky supplement to the Bonner Durchmusterung. The photographic plates required were made between 1885 and

petrel: Among them are the pintado petrel, or Cape pigeon (Daption capensis), a sub-Antarctic species about 40 cm (16 inches) long, marked with bold patches of black and white. The snow petrel (Pagodroma nivea), 35 cm, a pure white species, and the Antarctic petrel (Thalassoica antarctica), 42 cm, a brown-and-white-pied…

Dennis: The Cape Playhouse is a restored colonial meetinghouse and one of the best-known summer-stock theatres in the eastern United States. Historic sites include the Josiah Dennis Manse (1736) and Jericho House (1801). Area 21 square miles (54 square km). Pop. (2000) 15,973; (2010) 14,207.

zorille, (Ictonyx [sometimes Zorilla] striatus), African carnivore of the weasel family (Mustelidae), frequenting diverse habitats. It has a slender body, 29–39 centimetres (12–16 inches) long, and a bushy white tail, 21–31 cm long. Its fur is long and black, white striped on the back and white

pondweed: Cape pondweed, or water hawthorn (Aponogeton distachyos), of the family Aponogetonaceae, is native to South Africa and is grown as an ornamental in pools and greenhouses. Many species of those families serve as food for waterfowl and as cover for fishes.

Kennebunkport, town, York county, southwestern Maine, U.S. It is situated at the mouth of the Kennebunk River, on the Atlantic coast. It is adjacent to Kennebunk and lies 29 miles (47 km) southwest of Portland. The original settlement (1629) by Richard Vines was brought under the control of

Cape Province, former province of South Africa, occupying the southern extremity of the African continent. Prior to the establishment of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the area was known as the Cape Colony. Cape Province comprised all of southern and western South Africa. It was the largest of

veld: Physiography: …consists of the Drakensberg and Cape ranges, and by the Lesotho Highlands. Its less clearly defined northern and western boundaries coincide roughly with the 4,000-foot contour. Most of it is underlain by sedimentary strata of the Karoo System (or Karoo Super Group), dating from about 345 to 190 million years…

Exmouth Gulf: Nearby Cape Range National Park is important for the conservation of the threatened black-footed rock wallaby. Pop. (2006) Exmouth urban centre, 1,844; (2011) Exmouth urban centre, 2,207.

pyrope, magnesium aluminum garnet (Mg3Al2), the transparent form of which is used as a gemstone. Its colour varies from brownish red to purplish red. A beautiful, deep-red pyrope is often called ruby, in combination with the locality of occurrence, as Cape ruby from South Africa. It is also used in

conservation: Flood control: …species so affected is the Cape Sable seaside sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis) found in the Florida Everglades. The Everglades once stretched from Lake Okeechobee in the north to Florida Bay in the south. Water flowed slowly over a wide area, and its levels varied seasonally: summer rains caused the levels…

Horatio Nelson: Battles of Cape St. Vincent and the Nile: …Jervis in the Atlantic off Cape St. Vincent on the previous day, Nelson on February 14, 1797, found himself sailing in mist through a Spanish fleet of 27 ships. The Spaniards were sailing in two divisions and Jervis planned to cut between the two and destroy one before the other…

Cape Saint Vincent, cape, southwesternmost Portugal, forming with Sagres Point a promontory on the Atlantic Ocean. To the Greeks and Romans it was known, from the presence of a shrine there, as the Sacred Promontory. Tourism, pastoralism, and fishing are the economic mainstays of the region, which