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

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

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 function f from a metric space to itself for which there is a constant K that is less than 1 such that, for any two elements in the space, a and b, the distance between f (a) and f (b) is less than K times the distance between a and b.

(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.

contraction

reduction

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