Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Plaque |
PlaqueNoun1. A small abnormal patch on or inside the body. 2. A memorial made of brass. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "plaque" was first used: 1848. (references) |
Etymology: Plaque \Plaque\, noun. [French expression compare to Plack, and see Placard.]. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Medicine | A clear zone in a bacterial culture grown on an agar plate caused by localized destruction of bacterial cells by a bacteriophage. The concentration of infective virus in a fluid can be estimated by applying the fluid to a culture and counting the number of plaques formed. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
On board the unmanned spacecraft Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 is a plaque with a pictoral message from mankind. The plaque shows the figures of a man and a woman along with several symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecrafts. It serves as a kind of interstellar "message in a bottle". However it is very unlikely that it will be ever found. The mean time for the spacecraft to come within 30 astronomical units of a star is longer than the current age of the galaxy.
The plaque on board the Pioneer spacecrafts.
Larger versionThe Pioneer spacecraft were the first man-made objects to leave the solar system. The plaque is attached to the antenna support struts in a position that shields it from erosion by stellar dust.
Material: 6061 T6 gold-anodized aluminium Width: 229 mm (9 inches) Height: 152 mm (6 inches) Thickness: 1.27 mm (50/1000 inches) Mean depth
of engraving:0.381 mm (15/1000 inches)
Symbology
Hyperfine transition of neutral hydrogen
Hyperfine transition
of hydrogen.At the top left of the plate is a schematic representation of the hyperfine transition of hydrogen. Below this symbol is a small vertical line to represent the binary digit 1. This spin-flip transition of a hydrogen atom from electron state spin up to electron state spin down can specify a unit of length (wavelength, 21 cm) as well as a unit of time (frequency, 1420 MHz-1). Both units are used as measurements in the other symbols.
Figures of a woman and a man
A man and a woman.On the right side of the plaque a man and a woman are shown in front of the spacecraft. Between the brackets that indicate the height of the woman, the binary representation of the number 8 can be seen. In units of the wavelength of the hyperfine transition of hydrogen this means 8 x 21 cm = 168 cm.
The right hand of the man is raised as a sign of good will. Although it is unlikely that this gesture is truly universal, it offers a way to show the opposable thumb and that the limbs can be moved.
Silhouette of the spacecraft
The Pioneer spacecraft.Behind the figures of the human beings, the silhouette of the Pioneer spacecraft can be seen. It is displayed in the same scale so that the size of the human beings can be deduced from measuring the spacecraft.
Relative position of the Sun to the center of the Galaxy and 14 pulsars
14 pulsars with periods.The radial pattern on the left of the plaque shows 15 lines emanating from the same origin. 14 of the lines have corresponding long binary numbers which stand for the periods of pulsars. Since these periods will change over time, the epoch of the launch can be calculated from these values.
The lengths of the lines show the relative distances of the pulsars to the sun. A tick mark at the end of each line gives the Z coordinate perpendicular to the galactic plane.
If the plaque is found, only some of the pulsars may be visible from the location of its discovery. Showing the location with as many as 14 pulsars provides redundancy so that the location of the origin can be triangulated even if only some of the pulsars are recognized.
The fifteenth line extends to the right behind the human figures. This line indicates the relative distance to the center of the Galaxy.
Solar system
The solar system.At the bottom of the plaque is a schematic diagram of the solar system. A small picture of the spacecraft is shown, and the trajectory shows its way past Jupiter and out of the solar system. Saturn's rings could give a further hint to identifying the solar system.
The binary numbers next to the planets show the relative distance to the sun. The unit is 1/10th of Mercury's orbit.
Criticism of the plaque
Critics have argued that it may not be wise to show where the spacecraft originated, because malicious extraterrestrial intelligences could use the information to find and attack the Earth. Dr. Sagan opposes this view, because it is highly unlikely that the message will be found in a near epoch.
Another point of criticism is that the message is too anthropocentric and too hard to understand. Almost none of the human scientists that were shown the message was able to decode all of the message. It can be assumed that it will be even harder for extraterrestrial intelligences that do not share our common knowledge.
According to Sagan (Murmurs of Earth, 1978, New York, ISBN 0679744444), there were many negative reactions to the plaque due to the fact that the human beings were displayed naked. The Chicago Sun Times retouched its image to hide the genitals of the man and woman. The Los Angeles Times received "angry letters" from readers which accused NASA of wasting taxpayer money to send "obscenities" into space.
Feminists complained that only the hand of the man was raised and not that of the woman. In response to this criticism, a similar image included on the Voyager Golden Record showed the woman with her hand raised.
See also Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Pioneer program.
External links
- NASA on Pioneer 10 & 11
- NASA on the plaque
- Carl Sagan et al paper on the backgrounds of the plaque, published in Science magazine, March, 1972.
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Pioneer plaque."
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
Dental plaque is a yellowish biofilm that build up on the teeth. If not removed regularly, it can lead to dental caries.Atheromatous plaque is a buildup of fatty deposits within the wall of an artery that narrows the artery, reducing blood flow and inducing turbulence in the blood blow. Atheromatous plaque contributes to stroke and myocardial infarction.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Plaque."
Synonyms: PlaqueSynonyms: brass (n), memorial tablet (n). (additional references) |
Crosswords: Plaque |
| English words defined with "plaque": amyloid plaque, amyloid protein plaque ♦ Haematoblast ♦ Limoges enamel. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "plaque": Amyloid beta-Protein, amyloid filament, Atherectomy, Atherectomy, Coronary, Atherogenic ♦ Dental Plaque Index, Dental Prophylaxis, Dental Scaling ♦ Erythrosine ♦ indicating plate, instruction plate ♦ keyboard plaque ♦ Peyronie's, PLASTER MAKER, pyrometric cone equivalent ♦ radiographer, cardiac catheterization ♦ SPECIAL PROCEDURES TECHNOLOGIST, CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION, special vascular imaging technologis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus sanguis ♦ TROPHY ASSEMBLER. (references) |
| Etymologies containing "plaque": Plaquette. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Plaque" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. French (badge, disc, girdle, griddle, hob, nameplate, pane, patch, plaque, plate, sheet, shingle, slab, tag, tray), Swedish (plaque). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | In case some of you are wondering who the best is they are up here on this plaque. (Top Gun; writing credit: Ehud Yonay; Jim Cash) The plaque for the alternates is down in the ladies room (Top Gun; writing credit: Ehud Yonay; Jim Cash) What would you think the Statue of Liberty was if you happened upon it standing in a field, no explanatory plaque included (The Longest Day of the Century; writing credit: J.D. Kiggins) I'm sure, Miss Thing, I'm surepretzels give you plaque. (Female Trouble; writing credit: John Waters) Plaque is a figment of the liberal media and the dental industry to scare you into buying useless appliances and pastes (Aqua Teen Hunger Force; writing credit: Matt Maiellaro; Dave Willis) | |
Lyrics | Then come the multi platinum plaque (Freakin It; performing artist: Will Smith) | |
Movie/TV Titles | Plaque Attack (1983) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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High Tech |
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Consumer Goods |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | Several views of the plaque of the Pierluigi Nervi International Award for Cancer Research. Dr. Vincent Devita received this award on May 15, 1985. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |  | This is advanced malignant melanoma. At the left, one can see a plaque of early, radial growth phase superficial spreading melanoma. To the right, and contiguous with the plaque, is a pink (amelanotic) nodule of deeply invasive vertical growth phase melanoma. Melanomas diagnosed at this stage have a poor prognosis; many of these patients develop metastatic disease and die from their cancer. In the majority of instances, the plaque stage of melanoma is present for a sufficient period of time to permit its diagnosis and removal before it progresses to a more advanced (and more difficult to treat) stage. Credit: Unknown photographer/artist. |
 | The elastic fibers of the tunica media are swollen, irregular and fragmented. A fibrous plaque is replacing the elastic fibers in one area; Elastic stain technique; magnification 450X. Credit: CDC. |  | Pioneer F/G Plaque. Credit: NASA. |
 | Memorial Plaque for Yuri Gagarin. Credit: NASA. |  | Replica of Plaque Left on Moon by Apollo 17 Astronauts. Credit: NASA. |
 | Ernest Lester Jones Memorial Commemorating his role as Director of C&GS and a founder of the American Legion Plaque presented to C&GS for mounting on bridge of vessel E. LESTER JONES. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Commemorative plaque in honor of Colonel E. Lester Jones From George Washington Post No. 1 of the American Legion States Colonel Jones's role in founding the American Legion Plaque was placed on the C&GS Ship E. LESTER JONES in 1939. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Plaque attached to Seattle's Fishermen's Memorial. Credit: Fisheries. |  | Blowup of plaque describing commercial species in North Pacific waters. Credit: Fisheries. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Egyptian plaque" by Stella Reese Commentary: "Ancient egyptian plaque from the egyptian museum in Charlottenburg." | "Dedication" by Christie Ortiz Commentary: "A world war 2 dedication plaque." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Play | Caption |
 | Drill; teeth; tooth; dentist; novocaine; cavity; root canal; plaque; bacteria. |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Brushing and flossing help get rid of plaque. (references) | |
Extra flossing and brushing will remove this plaque. (references) | ||
The color left on the teeth shows where there is still plaque. (references) | ||
Business | Of dentate residents, caries in the crown and the root, and significant plaque and tartar accumulation, are major problems. (references) | |
Russian consumers prefer imported oral care products known for their ability to fight cavities, plaque, tartar and gum problems such as Colgate Total, Aquafresh, Oral-B, Blend-a-Med, Pepsodent, Macleans, etc. The most popular Russian-made toothpastes are Novy Zhemchug, Ftorodent, “32 norma”, Myatnaya, Lesnoi Balsam and Extra. (references) | ||
Minorities | Poland | It replaced a plaque that stated Germans alone were responsible, which was removed several months earlier. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Nellie Connally | I've been to that museum thing one time. I went back one time when they put a memorial plaque on the place where it all happened. And that's all. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| "Plaque" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Plaque" is used about 456 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 456 | 12,822 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "plaque": amyloid plaque ♦ amyloid protein plaque ♦ bacterial plaque ♦ blood plaque ♦ brass plaque ♦ dental plaque ♦ Dental Plaque Index ♦ keyboard plaque ♦ mycelial plaque ♦ Plaque Assay ♦ pleural plaque ♦ purple plaque ♦ talc plaque. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "plaque": plaque-forming, plaque-free, plaque-inducing. | |
Ending with "plaque": anti-plaque, athena-plaque, name-plaque, wall-plaque. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day | Expression | Frequency per Day |
plaque | 888 | personalized plaque | 37 |
address plaque | 268 | brass clan plaque scottish | 36 |
name plaque | 228 | acrylic plaque | 31 |
award plaque | 206 | en plaque sclérose | 31 |
wooden name plaque | 173 | brass clan english plaque | 30 |
wall plaque | 147 | retirement plaque | 30 |
bronze plaque | 72 | dental plaque | 30 |
trophy and plaque | 67 | engraving plaque | 29 |
memorial plaque | 64 | hole in one plaque | 29 |
en plaque sclerose | 59 | dash plaque | 28 |
garden plaque | 56 | picture plaque | 28 |
brass plaque | 55 | car club plaque | 27 |
engraved plaque | 45 | wooden plaque | 24 |
wood plaque | 45 | cast bronze plaque | 24 |
brass clan irish plaque | 40 | recognition plaque | 21 |
custom plaque | 40 | wedding plaque | 21 |
military plaque | 38 | house number plaque | 21 |
brass heraldic plaque | 38 | mucoid plaque | 21 |
house plaque | 38 | appreciation plaque | 20 |
brass clan plaque welsh | 37 | sports plaque | 20 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | Translations for "plaque"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | pllakëz metalike, pllakë bakteriale, stemë (arms, blazon, blazonry, crest, emblem, ensign). (various references) | |
Arabic | لوحة (doorplate, drawing, nameplate, painting, panel, picture, plate, portrait, tablet), صحيفة معدنية, بروش اسنان, بروش (broach, brooch). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | гравирана табелка, гравирана плоча, почетна значка, паметна плоча (memorial tablet). (various references) | |
Chinese | 匾. (various references) | |
Czech | plaketa, medaile (medal). (various references) | |
Danish | plet (blot, spot), plaque (patch), lysiszone. (various references) | |
Dutch | plaque. (various references) | |
Farsi | پلاک (Plate), نشان (Aim, Attribute, Badge, Banner, Brand, Clue, Emblem, Ensign, Hallmark, Impress, Mark, Medal, Memento, Presage, Score, Seal, Show, Sign, Signal, Stamp, Standard, Symbol, Symptom, Tally, Target, Token, Trace, Track, Tract), لوحه (Brede, Plate, Signboard, Slab, Tablet), صفحه کوچک . (various references) | |
Finnish | plakki, plaketti, muistolevyke, muistolaatta (marker, tablet, wall plaque), levyke (mini-disk, minidiskette, mini-floppy), levyinen, levy (board, lacquered board, marker, plate, sheet, tablet, wall plaque). (various references) | |
French | plaque (plate). (various references) | |
German | zahnbelag (film on the teeth), Platte (bald head, board, cake-stand, charger, disc, disk, flagstone, flat land, leaf, panel, piece of wood, plate, platitudinously, platter, record, serving-dish, sheet, shelf, slab, table-top, tile, tray). (various references) | |
Greek | πλάκα (abacus, cake, fun, plate, slab, slate). (various references) | |
Hebrew | לוחית (panel, tablet), להכות (affict, beat, defeat, flap, hit, hurt, kill, knock, smite, strike, stroke, swipe, wound), קטב (defeat, destruction, pestilence), אנדרלמוסיה (chaos, confusion, disorder, pandemonium, pestilence, tumult, turmoil, upheaval), טבלה (board, chart, plate, plateau, slab, table, tablet). (various references) | |
Hungarian | fogkő (dental deposit, scale, tartar), emléktábla (memorial tablet, tablet), dísztábla. (various references) | |
Indonesian | gudel (water buffalo calf). (various references) | |
Italian | placca (plaquette, plate). (various references) | |
Korean | 패. (various references) | |
Manx | tablad, plaik. (various references) | |
Pig Latin | aqueplay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | placa decorativa (plateau), placa (board, island, pane, plank, slab), venera, medalha (medal), mancha rubra na pele, halo (aureole, burr, circle, corona, nimbus), emblema honorífico, condecoração (decoration, distinction, order). (various references) | |
Romanian | placã (clip, pane, plate, record, sheet, slab, slate, table), aplicã (bracket). (various references) | |
Russian | бляшка, почетный значок, пластинка (lamella, lamina, plate). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | plaketa, plak, ukrasna ploča. (various references) | |
Spanish | placa (plaquette, plate, shield, shingle). (various references) | |
Swedish | platta (apron, dial, disc, disk, flat, planch, plate, record, sheet, slab, table, tarmac), plaque, plack, minnestavla (brass). (various references) | |
Turkish | plaka (licence plate, number plate, plate, slab, tablet), vücut lekesi, tabela (facia, name plate, plaquette, shingle, sign, signboard). (various references) | |
Ukrainian | почесний знак, дощечка з прізвищем, декоративна тарілка. (various references) | |
Vietnamese | tấm (offal, sheet, slab, tablet). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Middle Dutch | 1100-1500 | placke. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "plaque": plaques. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "plaque": antiplaque. (additional references) | |
| |
"Plaque" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Bloque, laque, lique, Luque, Pacque, Palanque, palemque, Palenque, palquet, Paque, pasque, pasquil, Pellequer, placque, placue, plaka, plake, plaq, plaqer, plaqu, plaqued, plaquet, platue, pleque, plique, pulque, Pulqui. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "plaque" (pronounced pla"k) |
| 4 | p l a" k | plack. |
| 3 | -l a" k | black, clack, Flack, flak, lac, lack, slack. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-l-p-q-u" | |
-1 letter: equal, quale. | |
-2 letters: leap, pale, peal, plea, pula, pule. | |
-3 letters: ale, alp, ape, eau, lap, lea, leu, pal, pea, pul, qua. | |
-4 letters: ae, al, el, la, pa, pe, up. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-l-p-q-u" | |
+1 letter: plaques. | |
+2 letters: applique, opaquely, quadplex. | |
+3 letters: appliqued, appliques, aquaplane, quadruple. | |
+4 letters: antiplaque, aquaplaned, aquaplaner, aquaplanes, prequalify, quadplexes, quadrupled, quadruples, quadruplet, quadrupole. | |
+5 letters: appliqueing, aquaplaners, plateresque, quadrupedal, quadruplets, quadrupoles. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Images: Digital Art | 9. Sounds 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Quotations: Spoken 12. Usage Frequency | 13. Expressions 14. Expressions: Internet 15. Translations: Modern 16. Translations: Ancient | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
