GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
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Bit
It is the basic unit of information in themachine world. A bit is a digit in binary form and carries one of two values, 0 or 1.
breaching
The action a humback whale does when reaching the surface of water, diving backwards into the water.
Byte
A single com
puter character, generally eight bits. For example, the letter "G" in binary code is 01000111
communications system
Any group of devices that is capable of sending or receving information
 
compass
A device to determine geographical direction, built with a freely spining magnetic needle, aligned with the magnetic field of the earth.
computer chip
is also known as a digital integrated circuit.
CPU- Central Processing Unit
The component of a computer in which data processing takes place.
deaf
Partially or completely incapable of hearing.
deflecting needle
Electromagnetic device with a freely floating needle (compass), to show the influence of magnetic fields and electric currents. It deflects or turns from one direction to another, with an electric current.
electricity
The physical phenomena that arises from the existance and interaction of electric charges.
electromagnet
A magnet of a soft-iron core wound with a current-carrying coil of insulated wire. The current produces the magnetization of the core.
electrometer
a device for catching and measuring electrical charge.
environmentally-friendly
A choice which benefits the environment.
extra terrestrial
Originated or located outside of the Earth or its atmosphere.
FAX -Facsimile
System used to transmit textual or graphical images over standard telephone lines
Fiber optics
The science of using light energy as a medium of transport of information.
fiber-optic cables
Cables used in a system that allows light to travel through it at very fast speeds, as means of informational data to be transfered at the receiving end into other types of signals. (words, etc.)
final product
The end result of a plan or design, which represents the thinking and decisions made by its originator(s) 
FIRST CONTACT
Term used to describe the moment when an alien civilization would establish communication or meet with humans.
galvanometer
A device to detect electrical currents by means of mechanical effects produced by the current to be measured. Picks up evidence of an electrical current and measures it.
history
A narrative of events or a chronological record of the life and development of people or institutions.
integrated circuit
A tiny silicon wafer where a complex of electronic components and their interconnections are imprinted or etched.
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Internet
A worldwide network of networks.
inventor
A person who produces something previously unknown, by the use of ingenuity, creativity and imagination.
journal
A record keeping tool. Can be used as reference, as a log of daily activities or events, or for reflexion
lightning
A natural electric discharge in the atmosphere, usually evidenced by a flash of light produced by such discharge. A lightninig rod attracts the discharge and sends it to the ground. Ben Franklin invented the lightning rod.
magnet
A body that attracts iron and other specific materials, because of a surrounding field of force produced by the motion of its atomic electrons and the alignment of its atoms.
mass of a particle
 
The amount of material in a particle.
memory
in a computer used for the same information that's handled in the computer itself.
Microwave
Electromagnetic waves that travel in a straight line and are used >to and from satellites and for short distances (i.e., up to 30 miles)
Modem
Acronym for MOulate DEModulate. Hardware that allows computers to interact with each other via telephone lines by converting digital signal to analog for transmission along analog lines
morse code telegraph
Device to transmit electric signals in patterns, identified as letters and numbers by the receipient. Inventor: Morse. 
Network
A series of points connected by physical or virtual connects.
particles
Very small pieces or parts of any material or substance. Building blocks of matter. 
Photophone
Communication device that transfers light signals into sound signals.
satellites
Communication device that orbits around the earth relaying video and audio signals.
sound
A vibration which can be detected by the organs of hearing.
sound transmission
The process of having sound be able to go from one point to another.
Telecommunication
The science of information transport using wire, radio, optical, or electromagnetic channels to transmit receive signals for voice or data communications using electrical means.
telephone
An instrument that directly modulates carrier waves with voice or other acoustic source to be transmitted to a remote location and reconverted into received waves of audible signals. Invented by Alexander Graham Bell.
thunder
The sound emitted by rapidly expanding gases along the path of the electrical discharge of lightining.
transatlantic telephone
The connection of telephone access of communication across the Atlantic Ocean
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strategies and modifications
The steps and decisions made along the way of a plan or process. Specific ideas and descriptions showing the process of thinking towards an outcome. 
tuning forks
A small U-shaped metal device that when struck produces a sound of a fixed pitched. It is usualy used as a reference to tune musical instruments. Its size determines the note.
URL
Uniform Resource Locator, e.g., http://www.gsh.org, which represents an address on the Internet.
video technology The devices and structures designed to manipulate and access information with pictures and sounds.
waves
In physics, it represents a disturbance or oscillation which is propagated from point to point in a medium or space. It can be mathematically measured for its specific characteristics: frequency, velocity, etc.
WWW World Wide Web- A network of graphical hypertext servers linked by the Internet.