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contraction |
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contraction, in physicscontraction, in physics: see expansion expansion, in physics, increase in volume resulting from an increase in temperature. Contraction is the reverse process. When heat is applied to a body, the rate of vibration and the distances between the molecules composing it are increased and, hence, the space..... Click the link for more information. . contraction, in grammarcontraction, in writing: see abbreviation abbreviation, in writing, arbitrary shortening of a word, usually by cutting off letters from the end, as in U.S. and Gen. (General). Contraction serves the same purpose but is understood strictly to be the shortening of a word by cutting out letters in the middle,..... Click the link for more information. . contraction 1. Physiol any normal shortening or tensing of an organ or part, esp of a muscle, e.g. during childbirth 2. Pathol any abnormal tightening or shrinking of an organ or part contraction [kən′trak·shən] (graphic arts) A microfilm defect in the form of a compressed image that occurs when the film speed is reduced as the document passes through a rotary microfilmer. (mathematics) A functionffrom a metric space to itself for which there is a constantKthat is less than 1 such that, for any two elements in the space,aandb, the distance betweenf(a) andf(b) is less thanKtimes the distance betweenaandb. (mechanics) The action or process of becoming smaller or pressed together, as a gas on cooling. (physiology) Shortening of the fibers of muscle tissue. contraction Of concrete, the sum of volume changes occurring as the result of all processes affecting the bulk volume of a mass of concrete.
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