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cycle


  6  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Cycle  \Cy"cle\,  n. 
  a  (Thermodynamics)  A  series  of  operations  in  which  heat  is 
  imparted  to  (or  taken  away  from)  a  working  substance 
  which  by  its  expansion  gives  up  a  part  of  its  internal 
  energy  in  the  form  of  mechanical  work  (or  being 
  compressed  increases  its  internal  energy)  and  is  again 
  brought  back  to  its  original  state. 
  b  (Elec.)  A  complete  positive  and  negative  wave  of  an 
  alternating  current;  one  period.  The  number  of  cycles 
  (per  second)  is  a  measure  of  the  frequency  of  an 
  alternating  current. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Cycle  \Cy"cle\  (s?"k'l),  v.  i.  [imp.  &  p.  p.  {Cycled}.  (-k'ld); 
  p.  pr  &  vb  n.  {Cycling}  (-kl?ng).] 
  1.  To  pass  through  a  cycle  of  changes;  to  recur  in  cycles. 
  --Tennyson.  Darwin. 
 
  2.  To  ride  a  bicycle,  tricycle,  or  other  form  of  cycle. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Cycle  \Cy"cle\  (s?"k'l),  n.  [F.  ycle,  LL  cyclus,  fr  Gr 
  ky`klos  ring  or  circle,  cycle;  akin  to  Skr.  cakra  wheel, 
  circle.  See  {Wheel}.] 
  1.  An  imaginary  circle  or  orbit  in  the  heavens;  one  of  the 
  celestial  spheres.  --Milton. 
 
  2.  An  interval  of  time  in  which  a  certain  succession  of 
  events  or  phenomena  is  completed,  and  then  returns  again 
  and  again  uniformly  and  continually  in  the  same  order  a 
  periodical  space  of  time  marked  by  the  recurrence  of 
  something  peculiar;  as  the  cycle  of  the  seasons,  or  of 
  the  year. 
 
  Wages  .  .  .  bear  a  full  proportion  .  .  .  to  the 
  medium  of  provision  during  the  last  bad  cycle  of 
  twenty  years.  --Burke. 
 
  3.  An  age;  a  long  period  of  time. 
 
  Better  fifty  years  of  Europe  than  a  cycle  of  Cathay. 
  --Tennyson. 
 
  4.  An  orderly  list  for  a  given  time;  a  calendar.  [Obs.] 
 
  We  .  .  .  present  our  gardeners  with  a  complete  cycle 
  of  what  is  requisite  to  be  done  throughout  every 
  month  of  the  year.  --Evelyn. 
 
  5.  The  circle  of  subjects  connected  with  the  exploits  of  the 
  hero  or  heroes  of  some  particular  period  which  have  served 
  as  a  popular  theme  for  poetry,  as  the  legend  of  Arthur  and 
  the  knights  of  the  Round  Table,  and  that  of  Charlemagne 
  and  his  paladins. 
 
  6.  (Bot.)  One  entire  round  in  a  circle  or  a  spire;  as  a 
  cycle  or  set  of  leaves.  --Gray. 
 
  7.  A  bicycle  or  tricycle,  or  other  light  velocipede. 
 
  {Calippic  cycle},  a  period  of  76  years,  or  four  Metonic 
  cycles;  --  so  called  from  Calippus  who  proposed  it  as  an 
  improvement  on  the  Metonic  cycle. 
 
  {Cycle  of  eclipses},  a  period  of  about  6,586  days,  the  time 
  of  revolution  of  the  moon's  node;  --  called  {Saros}  by  the 
  Chaldeans 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  cycle 
  n  1:  an  interval  during  which  a  recurring  sequence  of  events 
  occurs;  "the  neverending  cycle  of  the  seasons"  [syn:  {rhythm}, 
  {round}] 
  2:  a  series  of  poems  or  songs  on  the  same  theme:  "schubert's 
  song  cycles" 
  3:  a  periodically  repeated  sequence  of  events:  "a  cycle  of 
  reprisal  and  retaliation" 
  4:  the  unit  of  frequency;  one  Hertz  has  a  periodic  interval  of 
  one  second  [syn:  {Hertz},  {Hz},  {cycle  per  second},  {cycles/second}, 
  {cps}] 
  5:  a  single  complete  execution  of  a  periodically  repeated 
  phenomenon:  "a  year  constitutes  a  cycle  of  the  seasons" 
  6:  a  shortened  version  of  `bicycle'  or  `tricycle'  or 
  `motorcycle' 
  v  1:  cause  to  go  through  a  cycle 
  2:  pass  through  a  cycle;  "This  machine  automatically  cycles" 
  3:  ride  a  motorcycle  [syn:  {motorcycle}] 
  4:  ride  a  bicycle  [syn:  {bicycle},  {bike},  {pedal},  {wheel}] 
  5:  recur  in  cycles 
 
  From  Jargon  File  (4.2.3,  23  NOV  2000)  [jargon]: 
 
  cycle  1.  n.  The  basic  unit  of  computation.  What  every  hacker 
  wants  more  of  (noted  hacker  Bill  Gosper  described  himself  as  a  "cycle 
  junkie").  One  can  describe  an  instruction  as  taking  so  many  `clock 
  cycles'.  Often  the  computer  can  access  its  memory  once  on  every  clock 
  cycle,  and  so  one  speaks  also  of  `memory  cycles'.  These  are  technical 
  meanings  of  {cycle}.  The  jargon  meaning  comes  from  the  observation  that 
  there  are  only  so  many  cycles  per  second  and  when  you  are  sharing  a 
  computer  the  cycles  get  divided  up  among  the  users.  The  more  cycles  the 
  computer  spends  working  on  your  program  rather  than  someone  else's,  the 
  faster  your  program  will  run.  That's  why  every  hacker  wants  more  cycles: 
  so  he  can  spend  less  time  waiting  for  the  computer  to  respond.  2.  By 
  extension,  a  notional  unit  of  _human_  thought  power,  emphasizing  that  lots 
  of  things  compete  for  the  typical  hacker's  think  time.  "I  refused  to 
  get  involved  with  the  Rubik's  Cube  back  when  it  was  big  Knew  I'd  burn 
  too  many  cycles  on  it  if  I  let  myself."  3.  vt  Syn.  {bounce}  (sense  4), 
  {120  reset};  from  the  phrase  `cycle  power'.  "Cycle  the  machine  again 
  that  serial  port's  still  hung." 
 
 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  cycle 
 
    A  basic  unit  of  computation,  one  period  of  a  computer 
  {clock}. 
 
  Each  {instruction}  takes  a  number  of  clock  cycles.  Often  the 
  computer  can  access  its  memory  once  on  every  clock  cycle,  and 
  so  one  speaks  also  of  "memory  cycles". 
 
  Every  {hacker}  wants  more  cycles  (noted  hacker  {Bill  Gosper} 
  describes  himself  as  a  "cycle  junkie").  There  are  only  so 
  many  cycles  per  second  and  when  you  are  sharing  a  computer 
  the  cycles  get  divided  up  among  the  users.  The  more  cycles 
  the  computer  spends  working  on  your  program  rather  than 
  someone  else's,  the  faster  your  program  will  run.  That's  why 
  every  hacker  wants  more  cycles:  so  he  can  spend  less  time 
  waiting  for  the  computer  to  respond. 
 
  The  use  of  the  term  cycle"  for  a  computer  clock  period  can 
  probably  be  traced  back  to  the  rotation  of  a  generator 
  generating  alternating  current  though  computers  generally  use 
  a  clock  signal  which  is  more  like  a  {square  wave}. 
  Interestingly,  the  earliest  mechanical  calculators, 
  e.g.  Babbage's  {Difference  Engine},  really  did  have  parts 
  which  rotated  in  true  cycles. 
 
  [{Jargon  File}] 
 
  (1997-09-30) 
 
 




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