What is "fe3o4"

Scale \Scale\, n. [Cf. AS. scealu, scalu, a shell, parings; akin to D. schaal, G. schale, OHG. scala, Dan. & Sw. skal a shell, Dan. ski[ae]l a fish scale, Goth. skalja tile, and E. shale, shell, and perhaps also to scale of a balance; but perhaps rather fr. OF. escale, escaile, F. ['e]caille scale of a fish, and ['e]cale shell of beans, pease, eggs, nuts, of German origin, and akin to Goth. skalja, G. schale. See Shale.]

1. (Anat.) One of the small, thin, membranous, bony or horny pieces which form the covering of many fishes and reptiles, and some mammals, belonging to the dermal part of the skeleton, or dermoskeleton. See Cycloid, Ctenoid, and Ganoid.

   Fish that, with their fins and shining scales, Glide under the green wave.
   --Milton.

2. Hence, any layer or leaf of metal or other material, resembling in size and thinness the scale of a fish; as, a scale of iron, of bone, etc.

3. (Zo["o]l.) One of the small scalelike structures covering parts of some invertebrates, as those on the wings of Lepidoptera and on the body of Thysanura; the elytra of certain annelids. See Lepidoptera.

4. (Zo["o]l.) A scale insect. (See below.)

5. (Bot.) A small appendage like a rudimentary leaf, resembling the scales of a fish in form, and often in arrangement; as, the scale of a bud, of a pine cone, and the like. The name is also given to the chaff on the stems of ferns.

6. The thin metallic side plate of the handle of a pocketknife. See Illust. of Pocketknife.

7. An incrustation deposit on the inside of a vessel in which water is heated, as a steam boiler.

8. (Metal.) The thin oxide which forms on the surface of iron forgings. It consists essentially of the magnetic oxide, Fe3O4. Also, a similar coating upon other metals.

   Covering scale (Zo["o]l.), a hydrophyllium.

   Ganoid scale. (Zo["o]l.) See under Ganoid.

   Scale armor (Mil.), armor made of small metallic scales overlapping, and fastened upon leather or cloth.

   Scale beetle (Zo["o]l.), the tiger beetle.

   Scale carp (Zo["o]l.), a carp having normal scales.

   Scale insect (Zo["o]l.), any one of numerous species of small hemipterous insects belonging to the family Coccid[ae], in which the females, when adult, become more or less scalelike in form. They are found upon the leaves and twigs of various trees and shrubs, and often do great damage to fruit trees. See Orange scale,under Orange.

   Scale moss (Bot.), any leafy-stemmed moss of the order Hepatic[ae]; -- so called from the small imbricated scalelike leaves of most of the species. See Hepatica, 2, and Jungermannia.

Magnet \Mag"net\ (m[a^]g"n[e^]t), n. [OE. magnete, OF. magnete, L. magnes, -etis, Gr. Magnh^tis li`qos a magnet, metal that looked like silver, prop., Magnesian stone, fr. Gr. Magnhsi`a, a country in Thessaly. Cf. Magnesia, Manganese.]

1. The loadstone; a species of iron ore (the ferrosoferric or magnetic ore, Fe3O4) which has the property of attracting iron and some of its ores, and, when freely suspended, of pointing to the poles; -- called also natural magnet.

   Dinocrates began to make the arched roof of the temple of Arsino["e] all of magnet, or this loadstone.
   --Holland.

   Two magnets, heaven and earth, allure to bliss, The larger loadstone that, the nearer this.
   --Dryden.

2. (Physics) A bar or mass of steel or iron to which the peculiar properties of the loadstone have been imparted; -- called, in distinction from the loadstone, an artificial magnet.

   Note: An artificial magnet, produced by the action of an electrical current, is called an electro-magnet.

   Field magnet (Physics & Elec.), a magnet used for producing and maintaining a magnetic field; -- used especially of the stationary or exciting magnet of a dynamo or electromotor in distinction from that of the moving portion or armature.

Magnetite \Mag"net*ite\, n. (Min.) An oxide of iron ( Fe3O4) occurring in isometric crystals, also massive, of a black color and metallic luster. It is readily attracted by a magnet and sometimes possesses polarity, being then called loadstone. It is an important iron ore. Called also magnetic iron.

Iron \I"ron\ ([imac]"[u^]rn), a. [AS. [=i]ren, [=i]sen. See Iron, n.]

1. Of, or made of iron; consisting of iron; as, an iron bar, dust.

2. Resembling iron in color; as, iron blackness.

3. Like iron in hardness, strength, impenetrability, power of endurance, insensibility, etc.; as:

   1. Rude; hard; harsh; severe.

      Iron years of wars and dangers.
      --Rowe.

      Jove crushed the nations with an iron rod.
      --Pope.

   2. Firm; robust; enduring; as, an iron constitution.

   3. Inflexible; unrelenting; as, an iron will.

   4. Not to be broken; holding or binding fast; tenacious. ``Him death's iron sleep oppressed.'' --Philips. Note: Iron is often used in composition, denoting made of iron, relating to iron, of or with iron; producing iron, etc.; resembling iron, literally or figuratively, in some of its properties or characteristics; as, iron-shod, iron-sheathed, iron-fisted, iron-framed, iron-handed, iron-hearted, iron foundry or iron-foundry. Iron age.

      1. (Myth.) The age following the golden, silver, and bronze ages, and characterized by a general degeneration of talent and virtue, and of literary excellence. In Roman literature the Iron Age is commonly regarded as beginning after the taking of Rome by the Goths, A. D. 410.

      2. (Arch[ae]ol.) That stage in the development of any people characterized by the use of iron implements in the place of the more cumbrous stone and bronze.

         Iron cement, a cement for joints, composed of cast-iron borings or filings, sal ammoniac, etc.

         Iron clay (Min.), a yellowish clay containing a large proportion of an ore of iron.

         Iron cross, a German, and before that Prussian, order of military merit; also, the decoration of the order.

         Iron crown, a golden crown set with jewels, belonging originally to the Lombard kings, and indicating the dominion of Italy. It was so called from containing a circle said to have been forged from one of the nails in the cross of Christ.

         Iron flint (Min.), an opaque, flintlike, ferruginous variety of quartz.

         Iron founder, a maker of iron castings.

         Iron foundry, the place where iron castings are made.

         Iron furnace, a furnace for reducing iron from the ore, or for melting iron for castings, etc.; a forge; a reverberatory; a bloomery.

         Iron glance (Min.), hematite.

         Iron hat, a headpiece of iron or steel, shaped like a hat with a broad brim, and used as armor during the Middle Ages.

         Iron horse, a locomotive engine. [Colloq.]

         Iron liquor, a solution of an iron salt, used as a mordant by dyers.

         Iron man (Cotton Manuf.), a name for the self-acting spinning mule.

         Iron mold or Iron mould, a yellow spot on cloth stained by rusty iron.

         Iron ore (Min.), any native compound of iron from which the metal may be profitably extracted. The principal ores are magnetite, hematite, siderite, limonite, G["o]thite, turgite, and the bog and clay iron ores.

         Iron pyrites (Min.), common pyrites, or pyrite. See Pyrites.

         Iron sand, an iron ore in grains, usually the magnetic iron ore, formerly used to sand paper after writing.

         Iron scale, the thin film which forms on the surface of wrought iron in the process of forging. It consists essentially of the magnetic oxide of iron, Fe3O4.

         Iron works, a furnace where iron is smelted, or a forge, rolling mill, or foundry, where it is made into heavy work, such as shafting, rails, cannon, merchant bar, etc.

Multiple \Mul"ti*ple\, a. [Cf. F. multiple, and E. quadruple, and multiply.] Containing more than once, or more than one; consisting of more than one; manifold; repeated many times; having several, or many, parts.

Law of multiple proportion (Chem.), the generalization that when the same elements unite in more than one proportion, forming two or more different compounds, the higher proportions of the elements in such compounds are simple multiples of the lowest proportion, or the proportions are connected by some simple common factor; thus, iron and oxygen unite in the proportions FeO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, in which compounds, considering the oxygen, 3 and 4 are simple multiplies of 1. Called also the Law of Dalton or Dalton's Law, from its discoverer.

Multiple algebra, a branch of advanced mathematics that treats of operations upon units compounded of two or more unlike units.

Multiple conjugation (Biol.), a coalescence of many cells (as where an indefinite number of am[oe]boid cells flow together into a single mass) from which conjugation proper and even fertilization may have been evolved.

Multiple fruits. (Bot.) See Collective fruit, under Collective.

Multiple star (Astron.), several stars in close proximity, which appear to form a single system.