overhead

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overhead

Nautical the interior lining above one's head below decks in a vessel

overhead

[′ō·vər‚hed]

(chemical engineering)

Pertaining to fluid (gas or liquid) effluent from the top of a process vessel, such as a distillation column.

(computer science)

The time a computer system spends doing computations that do not contribute directly to the progress of any user tasks in the system, such as allocation of resources, responding to exceptional conditions, providing protection and reliability, and accounting.

(industrial engineering)

fixed cost

overhead

(1)

Resources (in computing usually processing time or storage space) consumed for purposes which are incidental to, but necessary to, the main one. Overheads are usually quantifiable "costs" of some kind.

Examples: The overheads in running a business include the cost of heating the building. Keeping a program running all the time eliminates the overhead of loading and initialising it for each transaction. Turning a subroutine into inline code eliminates the call and return time overhead for each execution but introduces space overheads.

overhead

(communications)

information, such as control, routing, and error checking characters, that is transmitted along with the user data. It also includes information such as network status or operational instructions, network routing information, and retransmissions of user data received in error.

overhead

(3)

Overhead transparencies or "slides" (usually 8-1/2" x 11") that are projected to an audience via an overhead (flatbed) projector.

overhead

(1) The amount of processing time used by system software such as the operating system, database manager or network protocols.

(2) In communications, the additional codes transmitted for control and error checking, which take time to process.

References in classic literature ?

The growling overhead was renewed, so suddenly and with so much savage anger that it startled me.

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Her night was a broken one, as it well might be, and she listened for the first faint noise overhead.

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We went to the great Bazaar in Stamboul, of course, and I shall not describe it further than to say it is a monstrous hive of little shops-- thousands, I should say--all under one roof, and cut up into innumerable little blocks by narrow streets which are arched overhead.

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They passed so closely overhead that Bert could hear their voices calling to one another.

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Even as he spoke, from high overhead came the deep resonant boom of a village drum.

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Sometimes half the horde would follow from overhead a tiger or lion that had ventured out in the daytime.

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According to Daylight's estimate, it was around seven o'clock; but the stars danced just as brilliantly, and faint, luminous streaks of greenish aurora still pulsed overhead.

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There was a noise as of the opening and closing of the hall door; he heard quick, heavy footsteps along the passage--heard them ascend the stairs--heard them on the uncarpeted floor of the chamber immediately overhead.

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The point in the heavens directly overhead to a man

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As if to add to her troubles the night was now creeping on, and the gray clouds overhead changed to inky blackness.

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The wasps came by thousands to my lodge in October, as to winter quarters, and settled on my windows within and on the walls overhead, sometimes deterring visitors from entering.

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What happened in the next few minutes I do not recollect, though I have a clear remembrance of pulling down life-preservers from the overhead racks, while the red-faced man fastened them about the bodies of an hysterical group of women.