![]() ![]() Given the complexity of modern science and technology and the diversity of the technical language that is employed, it is difficult for a small number of people, no matter how catholic or eclectic in their interests, to be expert in everything. That said, it would be remarkable if a few mistakes had not crept through I hope they are rare and trivial, and apologize in advance if we have perpetuated or propagated errors. This puts the onus on the Editor and the specialist contributors to ensure the accuracy of the content, which I hope we have managed. It is still a valid question, but I think the answer is probably that a dictionary should provide crisp, authoritative definitions that are useful to a diverse audience of non-specialists, especially those who are not connected to the Web or who do not have the time or inclination to dredge for a definition among sites that may or may not be reliable. The first question I asked when I had the privilege of taking over as General Editor from Professor Peter Walker, the architect of major changes in recent editions, was about the role of a dictionary in these days of search engines and the Internet. It became the Dictionary of Science and Technology in 1971, changed in 1984 to the Chambers Science and Technology Dictionary, then transformed again in 1995 into the Larousse Dictionary of Science and Technology (with illustrations for the first time) before reverting to the present title in 1999. The dictionary has its origin in 1940, when it was called Chambers’s Technical Dictionary, although it always had a substantial basic science content. Preface This edition of the Chambers Dictionary of Science and Technology is based substantially upon the edition produced in 1999 which, for the first time, incorporated panel entries giving additional detail on a range of topics. Text design by Ken Wilson Typeset by Macmillan India Ltd Printed in Italy by LegoPrint S.p.A ![]() A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published as Chambers’s Technical Dictionary in 1940 by W
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