radioactivity (atomic disintegration): * see EndNote<A>

aka radioactive decay; process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation; 3 common types of decay are alpha, beta & gamma decay, all emit 1 or more particles or photons; it is a random process at the atomic level; quantum theory states it is impossible to predict when a particular atom will decay, regardless of how long the atom has existed; however, the overall decay rate can be expressed as a decay constant or as half-life, ranging from nearly instantaneous to far longer than the age of the universe.

and see above page 419

 

radioactivity (chronological number): * see EndNote<B>

radioactive decay or half-life, is the time required for a quantity to reduce to half of its initial value; commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable atoms survive; the term dates from Rutherford's discovery of the principle in 1907 when measuring the decay period of radium to lead-206.

 

mythopoetic:

misspelling of the word mythopoeic, which means creation of myth or a giving rise to myths

 

Ragnarok:

see above page 400

 

Voluspa form (Ragnarok):

 see above page 400

 

Christian Muspilli form (Ragnarok):

see above page 400

 

Christian-Apocalyptic motives:

Apocalyptic literature is prophetical writing that developed in post-Exilic Jewish culture & was popular among early Christians.   Apocalypse (Greek for "revelation") is the unveiling of things not previously known & details the authors' vision of the end times.  Christian eschatology  (Greek- study of end things) deals with "last things”: death & afterlife, Heaven & Hell, the 2nd coming, resurrection of the dead, the rapture, the tribulation, millennialism, end of the world, the Last Judgment, the New Heaven & New Earth in the world to come.  The central document is the Book of Revelation, although eschatological passages appear in both the Old and New Testaments.

 

Olympian college:

reference to the 12 Olympian gods, as a body of persons engaged in common interests or duties

 

point de vue: * see EndNote<C>

French literally "point of view", technical term used in garden art, architecture & urban planning; refers to an object that serves as an eye catcher at the end of a path, an avenue or a forest aisle.  A visual axis can have a point de vue to the visual goal.  Initially used in 17th century French landscape architecture (“ viewpoint ” or “ belvedere ”), a place that offers a clear view of the surroundings areas.

 

the nth term of an infinite series: * see Endnote<D>

any (ordered) infinite sequence  of terms (numbers, functions) defines a series, which is the summation or operation of adding one ordered term after the other; a series with an infinite number of terms, is called an infinite series; they are  a major part of calculus and mathematical analysis, also widely used in other quantitative disciplines such as physics, statistics and finance.

 

Goethe (Faust Part II): * see Endnote<E>

second part of the tragic play Faust; Goethe finished it in 1831, it was published 1832 just after his death.  Its focus is no longer on the soul of Faust, but rather on social phenomena such as psychology, history & politics as well as mystical & philosophical topics.  It takes place in the "wide world" or macrocosmos