Science terms starting with F

623 terms

F 1) Fahrenheit- The standard scale used to measure temperature in the United States.
F Corona In solar-terrestrial terms, of the white-light corona (that is, the corona seen by the eye at a total solar eclipse), that portion which is caused by…
F factor Abbreviation for fertility factor. A bacterial plasmid that confers the ability to function as a genetic donor in conjugation. See: Hfr.
F Region In solar-terrestrial terms, the upper layer of the ionosphere, approximately 120 to 1500 km in altitude.
F Scale Abbreviation for Fujita Scale, a system of rating the intensity of tornadoes; for detailed information, see the definition for that term.
F1 Abbreviation for filial generation 1. The initial hybrid generation resulting from a cross between two parents. See Fn.
F1, F2, Fn Subsequent hybrid generations, counting from the F1. Thus, for example, F4 describes the progeny of the F3, which is the progeny of the F2 generation…
F2 The second hybrid generation, produced either by intercrossing two F1 individuals, or by self-fertilizing an F1 individual. See Fn.
FA Forecast Area
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FAB A product of hydrolysis of an IgG antibody, consisting of the variable region with some of the constant region of a heavy chain, and an entire light chain.
Face Exposed surface of dam materials (earth, rockfill, or concrete), upstream and downstream. The external surface which limits the structure, see neatlines.
Facilities Structures associated with Reclamation irrigation projects, municipal and industrial water systems, power generation facilities, including all storage…
Facing With reference to a wall or concrete dam, a coating of a different material, masonry or brick, for architectural or protection purposes, e.g.
FACS See: fluorescence-activated cell sorting.
Factor of safety The ratio of the ultimate strength of the material to the allowable or working stress.
factorial mating A mating scheme in which each male parent is mated with each female parent. Made possible in animals by means of in vitro embryo production.
Facula In solar-terrestrial terms, a bright region of the photosphere seen in white light, seldom visible except near the solar limb.
Faculae Bright blotches on the surface of the Sun that emit more radiation than surrounding areas and increase
facultative anaerobe An organism that will grow under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions.
Facultative ponds Ponds having an aerobic zone on the top and an anaerobic zone on the bottom.
Facultative wetland vegetation species A species that can occur both in wetlands and uplands.
FAD See: flavin adenine dinucleotide.
Fahrenheit (abbrev. F) The standard scale used to measure temperature in the United States.
Fahrenheit (F) Unit of temperature. Degrees Fahrenheit equals (9/5)x(degrees Celsius)+(32).
Failure An incident resulting in the uncontrolled release of water from a dam. Destroyed and made useless, ceases to function as a dam.
Failure potential assessment A judgment of the potential for failure of an essential element within the expected life of the project.
Fair It is usually used at night to describe less than 3/8 opaque clouds, no precipitation, no extremes of visibility, temperature or winds.
Fair Market Value Fair market value is the price you would have to pay to buy a particular asset or service on the open market.
Fall The amount of slope given to horizontal runs of pipe.
Fall Line Direction that water flows down a hill.
fall streaks The falling ice crystals that evaporate before reaching the ground.
Fall Wind A strong, cold, downslope wind.
Fallow Land plowed and tilled and left unplanted.
Fallstreak Same as Virga; streaks or wisps of precipitation falling from a cloud but evaporating before reaching the ground.
false fruit See: pseudocarp.
False negative test result that states that an analyte is absent, when, in fact, it is present above the established limit of detection for the analyte in question.
false positive test result that states that an analyte is present, when, in fact, it is not present or, is present in an amount less than a threshold or designated…
False set. See horsehead.
familial Mediterranean fever An inherited disease whose chief symptoms are recurrent fevers and severe abdominal pain due to inflammation of the abdominal cavity.
Fan An electrically or mechanically driven device that is used to pull air through the radiator or oil cooler.
Fan apron A sloping alluvial fan surface made of sediment deposited by streams at the mouth of a canyon between a mountain and the adjacent alluvial valley floor.
Fan Coil A heat exchanger coil in which a fluid such as water is circulated and a fan blows air over the coil to distribute heat or cool air to the different rooms.
Fan piedmont A sloping alluvial fan surface made of sediment deposited by streams at the mouth of a canyon between a mountain and the adjacent alluvial valley floor.
Fan remnant An erosional remnant (or fossil) of a once active and more extensive alluvial fan.
Fan terrace See Alluvial fan terrace
Fan Velocity Pressure The pressure corresponding to the outlet velocity of a fan; the kinetic energy per unit volume of flowing air.
Fanning A pattern of plume dispersion in a stable atmosphere, in which the plume fans out in the horizontal and meanders about at a fixed height.
Farad A unit of electrical capacitance; the capacitance of a capacitor between the plates of which there appears a difference of 1 Volt when it is charged by…
farm animal genetic resources Those animal species that are used, or may be used, for the production of food and agriculture, and the populations within each of them.
Farm loss (water) Water delivered to a farm which is not made available to the crop to be irrigated.
farmers' privilege Rights to hold germplasm, covered by plant variety protection, as a seed source for subsequent seasons.
farmers' rights Rights first recognized by Resolution 5 of the 1989 FAO Conference as "rights arising from the past, present and future contributions of farmers in the…
fascicle See: vascular bundle.
Fast pyrolysis Thermal conversion of biomass by rapid heating to between 450ø to 600øC in the absence of oxygen.
Fast-track Projects on public land for which the environmental review and public participation process is underway and the application could be approved by December…
FASTST Fastest
Fatal flaw Any problem, lack, or conflict (real or perceived) that will destroy a solution or process.
Fatality rate A multiplication factor based on the estimated severity of the flood, potential warning times, and the judgement related to the understanding of the flood…
Fate (of cell progeny) The normal outcome of differentiation of a cell's progeny.
Fathom Unit of water depth equal to 6 feet.
fatty acid A major component of fats that is used by the body for energy and tissue development.
Fault "Fault" means adultery, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, abandonment or reckless spending.
Fault block A rock mass that is bounded by normal faults. Fault blocks on either side of the fault are elevated or depressed, relative to each other.
Fault plane The plane that best approximates the fracture surface of a fault.
Fault trace The expression of a fault on the ground surface.
Fault, left-lateral A strike-slip fault on which displacement of the block opposite the observer is to the left. See also Strike-slip fault
Fault, normal A fault occurring usually as a result of extensional forces, such as when a hanging wall drops down relative to the footwall forming a graben or half…
Fault, potentially active Generally denotes that a fault has shown evidence of surface displacement during Quaternary time.
Fault, right-lateral A strike-slip fault on which displacement of the block opposite the observer is to the right. See also Strike-slip fault
Fault, transform A strike-slip fault forming the boundary between tectonic plates (e.g., the San Andreas Fault system is a transform fault zone that marks the boundary…
Fault, zoned Under the Alquist-Priolo Act, zoned faults include those that are "sufficiently active," showing evidence of surface displacement within the past 11,000…
Fault-block (horst) Uplifted section of rock bounded on both sides by faults. See graben.
Faulting The movement which produces relative displacement along a fracture in rock.
Fauna The community of animals in a specific region or habitat.
FAWS Flight Advisory Weather Service
FBO (Great Lakes Freeze-Up/Break-Up Outlook) - A National Weather Service product to keep mariners informed of the projected freeze-up date or break-up date…
FC A product of hydrolysis of an IgG antibody, consisting of parts of the constant regions of two heavy chains held together by a disulphide bridge, but…
FCEXEC A component of the NWSRFS FCST Program.
FCST NWSRFS Forecast Program to produce operational forecasts.
FDA An agency in the U.S. federal government whose mission is to protect public health by making sure that food, cosmetics, and nutritional supplements are…
FDO Friant Dam Office (Friant, CA).
Feasibility A determination that something can be done. A feasibility report is required in some planning processes to examine the situation and determine if a…
Feasibility estimate An estimate used for determining the economic feasibility of a project, the probable sequence and cost for construction of a project, and as a guide in…
Feather In a wind energy conversion system, to pitch the turbine blades so as to reduce their lift capacity as a method of shutting down the turbine during high…
Feature A large, complex artifact, or part of a site, such as a hearth, cairn, housepit, rock alignment, or activity area.
fed-batch fermentation Culture of cells or micro-organisms where nutrients are added periodically to the bioreactor.
Federal Advisory Committee Act Authorizes the establishment of a system governing the creation and operation of advisory committees in the executive branch of the federal government.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Federal agency responsible for the emergency evaluation and response to all disasters, natural and man-made.
Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) Office An office in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that implements energy legislation and presidential directives.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) This is an independent regulatory agency within the U.S. DOE that has jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, natural…
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Passed in 1972, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) regulates the manufacture and use of pesticides and allows EPA to restrict…
Federal land Land owned by the United States, without reference to how the land was acquired or which Federal agency administers the land, including mineral and coal…
Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) Act requiring the Secretary of the Interior to issue regulations to manage public lands and the property located on those lands for the long term.
Federal organizations Agencies, departments, or their components of the Federal Government that have a role in dam safety emergency planning and preparedness (i.e.
Federal Plant Pest Act (PPA) See U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Federal Power Act Enacted in 1920, and amended in 1935, the Act consists of three parts. The first part incorporated the Federal Water Power Act administered by the former…
Federal Power Commission (FPC) The predecessor agency of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The Federal Power Commission was created by an Act of Congress under the…
Federal Power Marketing Administrations (PMA) These are separate and distinct organizational agencies within the U.S. DOE that market power at federal multipurpose water projects at lowest possible…
Federal Register A daily publication which contains federal administrative rules and regulations.