Encyclopedia > Terminator

  Article Content

Terminator

The word terminator is from Latin and means roughly the finisher.

1) In astronomy, the terminator is the line between the day side and the night side of a planetary body. Examination of the terminator can yield information about the surface of the body; for example, a fuzzy terminator indicates the presence of an atmosphere.

2) In genetics, a terminator marks the end of a gene on the DNA for transcription.

3) The Terminator is an American motion picture involving a cyborg that has been sent back through time to "terminate" or kill a woman whose life will have importance in the future.

4) In electronics, a device at the end of a transmission line or bus, designed to match impedance and hence minimize reflections of the signal.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
Monty Woolley

... supercillious sophisticate. His most famous role is that of the cranky professor forced to stay immobile because of a broken leg in 1942's The Man Who Came to ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 64.5 ms