Home Forum Dictionary Articles Tutorials Books Directory Share your work


Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Dictionary » P » Piston

Piston

piston

(Science: machinery) A sliding piece which either is moved by, or moves against, fluid pressure. It usually consists of a short cylinder fitting within a cylindrical vessel along which it moves, back and forth. It is used in steam engines to receive motion from the steam, and in pumps to transmit motion to a fluid; also for other purposes. Piston head, a slide valve, consisting of a piston, or connected pistons, working in a cylindrical case which is provided with ports that are traversed by the valve.

Origin: F. Piston; cf. It. Pistone piston, also pestone a large pestle; all fr. L. Pinsere, pistum, to pound, to stamp. See Pestle, Pistil.


Please contribute to this project, if you have more information about this term feel free to edit this page



Results from our forum


Entropy

... determines the free energy of the system. When a system's energy is defined as the sum of its "useful" energy, (e.g. that used to push a piston), and its "useless energy", i.e. that energy which cannot be used for external work, then entropy may be (most concretely) visualized ...

See entire post
by dipjyoti
Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:27 pm
 
Forum: Physiology
Topic: Entropy
Replies: 3
Views: 1926


This page was last modified 21:16, 3 October 2005. This page has been accessed 1,101 times. 
What links here | Related changes | Permanent link