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The law that the force exerted between two electric or magnetic charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely to the square of the distance between them.

e department of science (as of ethnology or archæology) which deals with the shape, size, proportions, indications, etc., of skulls; the study of skulls.

pper; -- said of those compounds of copper in which this element is present in its lowest proportion.

per; -- said of those compounds of copper in which this element is present in its highest proportion.

rt, of; to shorten; to abridge; to diminish; to reduce. I, that am curtailed of this fair proportion. Shak. Our incomes have been curtailed; his salary has been doubled. Macualay.

something peculiar; as, the cucle 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.

The destruction of any large proportion, as of people by pestilence or war. Milman.

mensions; a definite measure; a definite period or interval. Elements combine in definite proportions. Whewell.

like; dissimilar; as, to difform corolla, the parts of which do not correspond in size or proportion; difform leaves. The unequal refractions of difform rays. Sir I. Newton.

t. Discrete movement. See Concrete movement of the voice, under Concrete, a. -- Discrete proportion, proportion where the ratio of the means is different from that of either couplet; as, 3:6::8:16, 3 bearing the same proportion to 6 as 8 does to 16. But 3 is not to 6 as 6 to 8. It is thus opposed to continued or conti…

of separation in place. Every particle attracts every other with a force . . . inversely proportioned to the square of the distance. Sir I. Newton.

To temper or mix unduly; to make disproportionate; to change the due proportions of. [Obs.] When . . . the humors in his body ben distempered. Chaucer.

ight go and take a distress of goods and cattle. Spenser. The distress thus taken must be proportioned to the thing distrained for. Blackstone. Abuse of distress. (Law) See under Abuse.

is distributive, since a × (b + c) = ab + ac, and (a + b) × c = ac + bc. -- Distributive proportion. (Math.) See Fellowship.

A small tree of tropical America (Cæsalpinia coriaria), whose legumes contain a large proportion of tannic and gallic acid, and are used by tanners and dyers.

A mineral consisting of the carbonate of lime and magnesia in varying proportions. It occurs in distinct crystals, and in extensive beds as a compact limestone, often crystalline granular, either white or clouded. It includes much of the common white marble. Also called bitter spar.

To proportion properly (a medicine), with reference to the patient or the disease; to form into suitable doses.

g.: Whatever is drifting or floating as on water. The current of humanity, with its heavy proportion of very useless driftwood. New Your Times.

s in drink." Shak. -- Strong drink, intoxicating liquor; esp., liquor containing a large proportion of alcohol. " Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging." Prov. xx. 1.

To fall short of a mark. [R.] Often it drops or overshoots by the disproportion of distance. Collier.