18WuD2x

392 keying transients • kilogram-calorie
keying transients 1. Transients arising from the
keying of a radiotelegraph transmitter or wire
telegraph circuit. 2. Transients that arise from
the repetitive making and breaking of any circuit.
keyless ringing In a telephone system, ringing
that begins as soon as the calling plug is put in
the appropriate jack on the jack panel.
key pulse In telephone operations, a signaling system
in which the desired numbers are entered by
pressing corresponding pushbuttons or keys.
key punch A keyboard-operated machine for
recording information by perforating a tape or
cards.
keyshelf A shelf that supports manually operated
telephone switchboard keys.
key station The master (control) station in a communications
or control network.
keystoning A form of video image distortion in
which the top of the picture is wider than the bottom,
or vice versa. Thus, the image area is shaped
like a trapezoid, rather than a rectangle.
TV
picture
keystoning
key switch 1. A lockable switch that is operated by
inserting and turning a key in it. 2. A switch having
a long handle that transmits motion to the
mechanism through a cam. 3. See KEY, 1. 4.
The separate short-circuiting switch sometimes
mounted on the base of a telegraph key (see KEY,
1). 5. A switch that actuates the keys of an electronic
organ.
key-to-disk unit A keyboard-to-magnetic-disk
data-processing unit.
keyway A groove or slot into which a mating key
slides to position a plug-in component (see KEY,
2).
keyword In information retrieval systems, the significant
word in the title describing a document
(e.g., in the title “A Primer on French Cuisine,”
the word cuisine would be the keyword, the others
having no singular significance).
kg Abbreviation of KILOGRAM.
kgC Abbreviation of KILOGRAM-CALORIE.
kgm Abbreviation of KILOGRAM-METER.
kg/m 3 Symbol for KILOGRAMS PER CUBIC ME-
TER, the SI unit of density.
K-H layer See KENNELLY-HEAVISIDE LAYER.
kHz Abbreviation of KILOHERTZ.
kick 1. To place into sudden operation, as by the
quick, forcible closure of a switch or the rapid application
of an enabling pulse. 2. See TRIGGER.
3. Colloquialism for an abrupt, momentary electric
shock.
kickback 1. The counter EMF that appears across
an inductor when current is interrupted. 2. See
FLYBACK.
kickback power supply A high-voltage power supply
using the flyback principle. See FLYBACK.
kidney joint A waveguide coupling used in radar.
The joint is flexible, or can consist of an air gap,
to allow rotation of the antenna.
Kikuchi lines A characteristic spectral pattern
produced by the electrons scattered when an
electron beam strikes a crystal.
killer 1. A pulse or other signal used to disable a
circuit temporarily (e.g., a blanking pulse). 2. In
personal computing, an application of such importance
that it alone serves as the motivation for
someone to purchase or upgrade a system. Common
examples are word processing and online
communications.
killer circuit 1. A circuit that disables some
function of a system, such as the audio in a
television receiver. 2. The blanking circuit in a
radar receiver. 3. A circuit that prevents responses
to side-lobe signals in a repeater or
transponder.
Kilo Pronunciation, KEY-low. Phonetic alphabet
code word for the letter K.
kilo- Abbreviation, K or k. 1. A prefix meaning
thousand(s). 2. In digital data applications, a prefix
meaning 2 10 (1024).
kiloampere Abbreviation, kA. A unit of current
equal to 1000 amperes.
kilobit A unit of digital data equal to 2 10 (1024)
bits. Also see BIT.
kilobyte Abbreviation, K or KB. A unit of digital
data equal to 2 10 (1024) bytes. Also see BYTE.
kilocalorie Abbreviation, kcal. A large unit of heat;
1 kcal equals 1000 calories. See CALORIE.
kilocurie Abbreviation, kCi. A large unit of radioactivity
equal to 3.71 × 10 13 disintegrations
per second; 1 kCi equals 1000 curies. Also see
CURIE, MEGACURIE, MICROCURIE, and MILLI-
CURIE.
kilocycle See KILOHERTZ.
kiloelectronvolt Abbreviation, keV. A large unit of
electrical energy equal to 1000 electronvolts. See
ELECTRONVOLT.
kilogauss A large unit of magnetic flux density;
1 kilogauss equals 1000 gauss or 0.1 tesla.
kilogram Abbreviation, kg. The SI base unit of
mass; it is equal to 1000 grams.
kilogram-calorie The heat required to raise 1 kilogram
of water 1°C.