REFERENCE DESKA little clarity
A little clarity
goes a long way.
Plain-language starting points for terms you will meet across the journal.
- Artificial intelligence
- Systems designed to perform tasks associated with human cognitive abilities. Capabilities depend on the task, system, and conditions.
- Benchmark
- A defined test used to compare performance. Its meaning depends on the task and evaluation conditions.
- Energy
- An amount, expressed in units such as joules or kilowatt-hours. It is different from power.
- Kilowatt-hour (kWh)
- A unit of energy equal to one kilowatt of power used for one hour.
- Micrometer (µm)
- One-millionth of a meter; equal to 1,000 nanometers.
- Nanometer (nm)
- One-billionth of a meter. The prefix nano represents a factor of 10⁻⁹.
- Nanotechnology
- Understanding and control of matter at approximately 1–100 nanometers, where distinctive phenomena can enable new applications.
- Power
- The rate of energy transfer or use. Measured in watts.
- Prototype
- An early version built to explore or demonstrate a design. Its existence does not establish readiness for all intended uses.
- Surface area
- The area of exposed surfaces. Subdividing a volume into separate smaller pieces increases its total surface area.
- Technology Readiness Level
- A measure of technology maturity. NASA uses a framework of nine levels.
- Watt (W)
- A unit of power equal to one joule per second. One kilowatt is 1,000 watts.
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Definitions are brief learning aids. See our reading sources for fuller explanations.