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BLIP—See PIP [18].
BLOCK DIAGRAM—A diagram in which the major components of an equipment or a system are
represented by squares, rectangles, or other geometric figures, and the normal order of progression of a
signal or current flow is represented by lines [4].
BLOCKED-GRID KEYING—A method of keying in which the bias is varied to turn plate current on and
off [12].
BLOCKING—A condition in an amplifier, caused by overdriving one or more stages, in which the
amplifier is insensitive to small signals immediately after reception of a large signal [18].
BOLOMETER—A loading device that undergoes changes in resistance as changes in dissipated power
occur [16].
BONDING WIRES—Fine wires connecting the bonding pads of the chip to the external leads of the
package [14].
BOOLEAN—(1) Pertaining to the process used in the algebra formulated by George Boole. (2) Pertaining
to the operations of formal logic [13].
BOOLEAN ALGEBRA—A system of logic dealing with on-off circuit elements associated by such
operators as the AND, OR, NAND, NOR, and NOT functions [13].
BOOLEAN LOGIC—See BOOLEAN ALGEBRA [13].
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS—The two conditions that the E-field and H-field within a waveguide must
meet before energy will travel down the waveguide. The E-field must be perpendicular to the walls and
the H-field must be in closed loops, parallel to the walls, and perpendicular to the E-field [11].
BRANCH—An individual current path in a parallel circuit [1] [4].
BREAK—In a switch, the number of breaks refers to the number of points at which the switch opens the
circuit; for example, single break and double break [3].
BREAKDOWN—The phenomenon occurring in a reverse-biased semiconductor diode. The start of the
phenomenon is observed as a transition from a high dynamic resistance to one of substantially lower
dynamic resistance. This is done to boost the reverse current [7].
BRIGHTNESS CONTROL—The name given to the potentiometer used to vary the potential applied to the
control grid of a CRT [6].
BROADSIDE ARRAY—An array in which the direction of maximum radiation is perpendicular to the
plane containing the elements [10] [18].
BRUSHES—Sliding contacts, usually carbon, that make electrical connection to the rotating part of a motor
or generator [5].
BUFFER—A voltage amplifier used between the oscillator and power amplifier [12].
BUFFER AMPLIFIER—An amplifier that isolates one circuit from another. It decreases the loading effect
on an oscillator by reducing the interaction between the load and the oscillator [9] [18].
