Flying Buttress
in architecture, a structure in the form of an arch, spanning the roof of an aisle between an outer buttress and the wall of the nave. It assists in resisting the thrust of the roof.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Single-source entries: F (31)
Each of these 9 subjects appears in only one of the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. None is long enough to carry a page by itself, so they are gathered here by letter. Anything that grows moves out to a page of its own.
Flying Childers
a chestnut racehorse foaled in England about 1715. The English do not time their horses; that is to say, the horse runs to outstrip his competitors, and not against time. It is quite honor enough to win a Derby without question of the actual speed. There is no authentic record, therefore, of Flying Childers' time, but he was considered the fastest horse England had produced. He won every race he entered.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Flying Lemur
a long-tailed animal resembling the lemur monkey in some respects. It is about twenty inches in total length. It is an animal of the tree-tops, in the forests of the Indian archipelago. It lives inoffensively on fruit, insects, and birds' eggs. A loose fold of skin runs along each side of the body from the neck to the tail, with sufficient width to include the legs but yet leave the paws free. When the animal leaps it spreads its legs apart like a flying squirrel , and is able to soar with ease and perfect safety for almost any distance on a downward course. Also called the flying fox.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Flying Machine
in aerial navigation, a machine constructed on the principle of a soaring bird. Flying machines are of two sorts, monoplanes and biplanes. A monoplane is a flying machine of one plane. In this it resembles a bird with outstretched wings. The wings of the monoplane are rigid. The machine skates or soars on the air. It is driven forward by a propeller. Incessant motion is the secret of flight. A moment's pause and down crashes the machine like a kite when the wind fails. The biplane is constructed on the same principle, save that it is two decked--has two planes. The machine in which Bleriot crossed the English Channel was a monoplane. The Latham machine is a monoplane. The monoplane is lighter, cheaper, and swifter. In 1909 Santos-Dumont attained a speed of fifty-five miles an hour with the Demoiselle, a monoplane. With Santos-Dumont on board, the machine weighed but 260 pounds. It cost but $1,000. A biplane is heavier than a monoplane; it presents a greater sustaining surface, and can carry a heavier load. The two planes and the connecting rods and braces meet greater head-on resistance from the air and retard the motion of the machine. The machines of Farnum, Curtiss, and the Wright brothers are biplanes. The extent of flight, like the cruise of a steamship or the run of an automobile, is dependent upon the size of the gasoline tank. See Airship ; Bleriot
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Flywheel
in machinery, a wheel employed to regulate the rate of motion. It is attached usually to a principal shaft, and turns with it. Within reason, the greater the diameter of a flywheel and the heavier its rim, the greater its influence is. The value depends on inertia. The wheel gets under way slowly and loses motion slowly. In the case of a power saw, for instance, a heavy flywheel, once under way, preserves the motion of the saw from being checked by a temporary obstruction, such as a knot or other difficulty. Then, too, when the saw becomes empty, the flywheel prevents its attaining an excessive rate of speed before another log can be brought into place. It is a reservoir in which extra energy, that is to say, motion, is stored to be drawn upon in time of need.
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Focal Infections
OR FOCAL INFECTION DISEASES, those which originate in foci of infection, i. e. localized areas or parts of the body where pathogenic germs become seated and whence they are carried to other parts or spread throughout the body by the blood or the lymph stream. Many comdiseases, including rheumatism, mon pneumonia, appendicitis, bronchial asthma, and catarrh, together with general physical debility, and even mental-nerve diseases, have been found to arise in many cases from local infections apparently unconnected with the final symptoms of the disease in question. Common foci of infection are the intestinal canal and all the exposed membranes of the head, the mouth, nose, throat, tonsils, gums, and lastly the teeth, whose importance in this respect has lately received wide recognition. The poisonous germs multiplied in these localities often produce their first noticeable effects when carried to other parts peculiarly susceptible, such as the joints, kidneys, stomach, lungs, etc. In recent years an important part of the treatment of victims of mental disorders has been the removal of foci of infection found in bad teeth, in-
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Foehn
fen, a warm, dry wind of the Alps. It resembles our chinook in origin and nature. It descends from the upper Alps into the valleys along the northern side of the same from Geneva to Salzburg. The owners of vineyards depend upon it to cure their grapes in the autumn. It is of great benefit in the spring in removing the heavy snows of that region quickly. The word has passed into general use and is applied to winds of the sort, wherever found. Thus travelers speak of the Himalaya foehn, the Greenland foehn, etc. See Chinook ; Wind
Only in Aiton's Encyclopedia
Fogazzaro
ANTONIO (fō-gätsär'ō), an Italian poet; born in Vicenza, Italy, in 1842. He first came into notice with "Miranda," a story in verse (1874), ded greatly to his reputation as a and added poet with "Valsonda," a volume of lyrics (1876). He was author of several novels which were received with marked favor, among them, "Master Chicco's Fiasco" (1885); "Daniel Cortis" (1887); "The Poet's Mystery" (1888); "The Saint" (1905); "Leila" (1910).
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia
Foggia
a city of southern Italy, capital of the province of the same name, in the center of the great Apulian plain, 46 miles E. by S. of Campo Basso. It is well built, most of the houses being reconstructed since an earthquake, which happened in 1732. It has large storehouses for keeping corn, and is the place where the flocks that feed on the great plain of Apulia are registered. Pop. about 79,000.
Only in Collier's New Encyclopedia