Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Special |
SpecialAdjective1. Unique or specific to a person or thing or category; "the particular demands of the job"; "has a paraticular preference for Chinese art"; "a peculiar bond of sympathy between them"; "an expression peculiar to Canadians"; "rights peculiar to the rich"; "the special features of a computer"; "my own special chair". 2. For a special service or occasion; "a special correspondent"; "a special adviser to the committee"; "had to get special permission for the event". 3. Surpassing what is common or usual or expected; "he paid especial attention to her"; "exceptional kindness"; "a matter of particular and unusual importance"; "a special occasion"; "a special reason to confide in her"; "what's so special about the year 2000?". 4. Adapted to or reserved for a particular purpose; "a special kind of paint"; "a special medication for arthritis". 5. Having a specific function or scope; "a special (or specific) role in the mission". 6. First and most important; "his special interest is music"; "she gets special (or particular) satisfaction from her volunteer work". 7. Added to a regular schedule; "a special holiday flight"; "put on special buses for the big game". Noun1. A special offering (usually temporary and at a reduced price) that is featured in advertising; "they are having a special on pork chops". 2. A dish or meal given prominence in e.g. a restaurant. 3. A television production that features a particular person or work or topic; "the last of a series of BBC specials on Iran is being shown tonight". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "special" was first used: 12th century. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | SPECIAL A SRI specification language. [HDM?] ["SPECIAL - A Specification and Assertion Language", L. Robinson et al, TR CSL-46, SRI, Jan 1987]. Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing. |
Mining | See:special rounds. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The special theory of relativity (SR) is the physical theory published in 1905 by Albert Einstein that modified Newtonian physics to incorporate electromagnetism as represented by Maxwell's equations. The theory is called "special" because the theory applies only to the special case of measurements made when both the observer and that which is being observed are not affected by gravity. Ten years later, Einstein published the theory of General Relativity, or GR for short, which is the extension of special relativity to incorporate gravitation.
Motivation for the theory of special relativity
Before the formulation of special relativity, Hendrik Lorentz and others had already noted that electromagnetics differed from Newtonian physics in that observations by one of some phenomenon can differ from those of a person moving relative to that person at speeds nearing the speed of light. For example, one may observe no magnetic field, yet another observes a magnetic field in the same physical area. Lorentz suggested an aether theory in which objects and observers travelling with respect to a stationary aether underwent a physical shortening (Lorentz-Fitzgerald contraction) and a change in temporal rate (time dilation). This allowed the partial reconciliation of electromagnetics and Newtonian physics. When the velocities involved are much less than speed of light, the resulting laws simplify to Newton's laws. The theory, known as Lorentz Ether Theory (LET) was criticized (even by Lorentz himself) because of its ad hoc nature.
While Lorentz suggested the Lorentz transformation equations as a mathematical description that accurately described the results of measurements, Einstein's contribution was to derive these equations from a more fundamental theory. Einstein wanted to know what was invariant (the same) for all observers. His original title for his theory was (translated from German) "Theory of Invariants". It was Max Planck who suggested the term "relativity" to highlight the notion of transforming the laws of physics between observers moving relative to one another.
Special relativity is usually concerned with the behaviour of objects and observers which remain at rest or are moving at a constant velocity. In this case, the observer is said to be in an inertial frame of reference or simply inertial. Comparison of the position and time of events as recorded by different inertial observers can be done by using the Lorentz transformation equations. A common misstatement about relativity is that SR cannot be used to handle the case of objects and observers who are undergoing acceleration (non-inertial reference frames), but this is incorrect. For an example, see the relativistic rocket problem. SR can correctly predict the behaviour of accelerating bodies as long as the acceleration is not due to gravity, in which case general relativity must be used.
Invariance of the speed of light
SR postulated that the speed of light in vacuum is the same to all inertial observers, and said that every physical theory should be shaped or reshaped so that it is the same mathematically for every observer. This postulate (which comes from Maxwell's equations for electromagnetics) together with the requirement, successfully reproduces the Lorentz transformation equations, and has several consequences that struck many people as bizarre, among which are:
- The time lapse between two events is not invariant from observer to another, but is dependent on the relative speeds of the observers' reference frames.
- Two events that occur simultaneously in different places in one reference frame may occur one after the other in another reference frame (relativity of simultaneity).
- The dimensions (length, e.g.) of an object as measured by an observer may differ from those by another. This is an obvious difference from Newtonian physics, which showed no such effect.
- The twin paradox is the "story" of a twin who "ages much more rapidly" than the other. (An even more incredible difference.)
Lack of an absolute reference frame
Another radical consequence is the rejection of the notion of an absolute, unique, frame of reference. Previously it had been believed that the universe traveled through a substance known as "aether" (absolute space), against which speeds could be measured. However, the results of various experiments, culminating in the famous Michelson-Morley experiment, suggested that either the Earth was always stationary (which is absurd), or the notion of an absolute frame of reference was mistaken and must be discarded.
Equivalence of mass and energy
Perhaps most far reaching, it also showed that energy and mass, previously considered separate, were equivalent, and related by the most famous expression from the theory:
where E is the energy of the body (at rest), m is the mass and c is the speed of light. If the body is moving with speed v relative to the observer, the total energy of the body is:
where
- ,
(The term γ occurs frequently in relativity, and comes from the Lorentz transformation equations.) It is worth noting that if v is much less than c this can be written as
- .
which is precisely equal to the "energy of existence", mc2, and the Newtonian kinetic energy, mv2/2. This is just one example of how the two theories coincide when velocities are small.
At very high speeds, the denominator in the energy equation (2) approaches a value of zero as the velocity approaches c. Thus, at the speed of light, the energy would be infinite, which precludes things that have mass from moving at that speed.
The most practical implication of this theory is that it puts an upper limit to the laws (see Law of nature) of Classical Mechanics and gravity formed by Isaac Newton at the speed of light. Nothing carrying mass or information can move faster than this speed. As an object's velocity approaches the speed of light, the amount of energy required to accelerate it approaches infinity, making it impossible to reach the speed of light. Only particles with no mass, such as photons, can actually achieve this speed (and in fact they must always travel at this speed in all frames of reference), which is approximately 300,000 kilometers per second or 186,300 miles per second.
The name "tachyon" has been used for hypothetical particles which would move faster than the speed of light, but to date evidence of the actual existence of tachyons has not been produced.
Special relativity also holds that the concept of simultaneity is relative to the observer: If matter can travel along a path in spacetime without changing velocity, the theory calls this path a 'time-like interval', since an observer following this path would feel no motion and would thus travel only in 'time' according to his frame of reference. Similarly, a 'space-like interval' means a straight path in space-time along which neither light nor any slower-than-light signal could travel. Events along a space-like interval cannot influence one another by transmitting light or matter, and would appear simultaneous to an observer in the right frame of reference. To observers in different frames of reference, event A could seem to come before event B or vice-versa; this does not apply to events separated by time-like intervals.
Special relativity is now universally accepted by the physics community, unlike General Relativity which is still insufficiently confirmed by experiment to exclude certain alternative theories of gravitation. However, there are a handful of people opposed to relativity on various grounds and who have proposed various alternatives, mainly Aether theories.
The Theory
SR uses a 'flat' 4 dimensional space, usually referred to as space-time. This space, however, is very similar to the standard 3 dimensional Euclidean space, and fortunately by that fact, very easy to work with.
The differential of distance(ds) in cartesian 3D space is defined as:
where are the differentials of the three spatial dimensions. In the geometry of special relativity, a fourth dimension, time, is added, with units of c, so that the equation for the differential of distance becomes:
In many situations it may be convenient to treat time as imaginary (e.g. it may simplify equations), in which case in the above equation is replaced by , and the metric becomes
If we reduce the spatial dimensions to 2, so that we can represent the physics in a 3-D space,
We see that the null geodesics lie along a dual-cone:
defined by the equation
, or
Which is the equation of a circle with r=c*dt. If we extend this to three spatial dimensions, the null geodesics are continuous concentric spheres, with radius = distance = c*(+ or -)time.
This null dual-cone represents the "line of sight" of a point in space. That is, when we look at the stars and say "The light from that star which I am receiving is X years old.", we are looking down this line of sight: a null geodesic. We are looking at an event meters away and d/c seconds in the past. For this reason the null dual cone is also known as the 'light cone'. (The point in the lower left of the picture below represents the star, the origin represents the observer, and the line represents the null geodesic "line of sight".)
Geometrically, all "points" along the null dual-cone represent the same point in space-time( because the distance between them is zero). This can be thought of as 'the window of combustion' of forces. ("Connection is when two motions, once thought to be mutually exclusive, meet in a single moment." -James Morrison) It is where events in space-time intersect; how space interacts with itself. It is how a point "sees" the rest of the universe and is "seen" by it. The cone in the -t region is the information that the point is 'receiving', while the cone in the +t section is the information that the point is 'sending'. In this way, we can envision a space of null dual-cones:
and recall the concept of cellular automata, applying it in a spatially and temporally continuous fashion. This also holds for points in uniform translatory motion to eachother, a.k.a. inertial frames:
This means that the geometry of the universe remains the same regardless of the velocity() (inertia) of the observer. Let us recall Newton's law of motion: "An object in motion tends to stay in motion; an object at rest tends to stay at rest." - the law of conservation of kinetic energy.
However, the geometry does not remain constant when there is acceleration () involved, as this implies an application of force (F=ma), and consequently a change in energy, which brings us to general relativity, in which the intrinsic curvature of space is directly proportional to the energy density at that point.
Modifications of special relativity
In the early 21st century a number of modified versions of special relativity have been postulated. One of the most notable of these is doubly-special relativity, where a characteristic length is added to the list of invariant quantities.
Tests of postulates of special relativity
- Michelson-Morley experiment - ether drift
- Hamar experiment - obstruction of ether flow
- Trouton-Noble experiment - torque on a capacitor
- Kennedy-Thorndike experiment - time contraction
- Forms of the emission theory experiment
Related Topics
People:
Physics and Math:
- Albert Einstein
- Arthur Eddington
- Niels Bohr
- Bernhard Riemann
Philosophy:
- Newtonian Mechanics
- Cosmology
- Doppler effect
- General Relativity
- Geometry
- Tensors
- Actualism
- Convensionalism
- Formalism
External links
- http://www-gap.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Special_relativity.html
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Special relativity."
| The following table is compiled from various sources, across various languages. When English abbreviations or acronyms come from a non-English source, this is noted. | |||
| Entry | Source | Expression | Field |
SPECIAL | English | Service Provisioning Environment for Consumers'Interactive Applications | N/A |
| SP | English | Special product | Post & Telecom |
Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |||
Synonyms: SpecialSynonyms: especial(a) (adj), exceptional (adj), extra (adj), limited (adj), particular (adj), particular(a) (adj), peculiar(a) (adj), special(a) (adj). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Consignee | Newspaper correspondent, own correspondent, special correspondent. |
Deity | Eon, aeon, special providence, deus ex machina; avatar. |
Dissuasion | Pretense; (untruth); put off, dust thrown in the eyes; blind; moonshine; mere pretext, shallow pretext; lame excuse, lame apology; tub to a whale; false plea, sour grapes; makeshift, shift, white lie; special pleading; (sophistry); soft sawder; (flattery). |
Lawyer | Bar, legal profession, bar association, association of trial lawyers; officer of the court; gentleman of the long robe; junior bar, outer bar, inner bar; equity draftsman, conveyancer, pleader, special pleader. |
Messenger | Reporter, gentleman of the press, representative of the press; penny-a-liner; special correspondent, own correspondent; spy, scout; informer. |
News | Newscaster, newsman, newswoman, reporter, journalist, correspondent, foreign correspondent, special correspondent, war correspondent, news team, news department; anchorman, anchorwoman; sportscaster; weatherman. |
Reasoning, | Sophistry, paralogy, perversion, casuistry, jesuitry, equivocation, evasion; chicane, chicanery; quiddet, quiddity; mystification; special pleading; speciousness; Adjective: nonsense; word sense, tongue sense. |
Speciality | Adjective: special, particular, individual, specific, proper, personal, original, private, respective, definite, determinate, especial, certain, esoteric, endemic, partial, party, peculiar, appropriate, several, characteristic, diagnostic, exclusive; singular; (exceptional); idiomatic; idiotypical; typical. |
Vehicle | Train; accommodation train, passenger train, express trail, special train, corridor train, parliamentary train, luggage train, freight train, goods train; st class train, nd class train, rd class train, st class carriage, nd class carriage, rd class carriage, st class compartment, nd class compartment, rd class compartment; rolling stock; horse box, cattle truck; baggage car, express car, freight car, parlor car, dining car, Pullman car, sleeping car, sleeper, dome car; surface car, tram car, trolley car; box car, box wagon; horse car; bullet train, shinkansen, cannonball, the Wabash cannonball, lightning express; luggage van; mail, mail car, mail van. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | But one door is special. One door leads to the source (The Matrix Reloaded; writing credit: Andy Wachowski; Larry Wachowski) I wonder if you understand that all of us-- Dolores, me, the children who survived, the children who didn't-- that we're all citizens of a different town now. A place with its own special rules and its own special laws (The Sweet Hereafter; writing credit: Atom Egoyan) We both got two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions, but their buns have sesame seeds (Coming to America; writing credit: David Sheffield) She's not my special lady friend, man. I'm just helping her conceive (The Big Lebowski; writing credit: Ethan Coen; Joel Coen) What is so special about Baskin (Big; writing credit: Gary Ross; Anne Spielberg) | |
Lyrics | I thought you were special (Special; performing artist: Garbage) Last night, you bought something special (Can't Stop; performing artist: After 7) It is a special one, it's never seen the sun (Spanish Harlem; performing artist: Aretha Franklin) It was so special and (Last Night; performing artist: Az Yet) What makes it special (Ugly; performing artist: Bubba Sparxxx) | |
Clever | Why isn't there a special name for the tops of your feet? (references; author: unknown) No happy time is really gone if it leaves a special memory. (references; author: unknown) Because you are someone special, I send joy, my love, today. For you are very wonderful in each and every way. (references; author: unknown) I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. (references; author: unknown) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Midnight Special (1973) Hapax Legomena VII: Special Effects (1972) The Burke Special (1972) | |
Song Titles | Special (performing artist: Garbage) Midnite Special (performing artist: Paul Evans) Special Lady (performing artist: Goodman & Brown Ray) My Special Angel (performing artist: The Vogues) Red Light Special (performing artist: TLC) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
References |
| ||
Books |
| ||
Periodicals |
| ||
Theater & Movies |
| ||
Music |
| ||
High Tech |
| ||
Consumer Goods | |||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | The Hubble telescope has been used successfully to measure the diameters of a special class of ... Credit: NASA. |  | Computer generated surface view of Gula Mons.For this image, we also have a special treat. Because the vertical scale on theseimages is so exaggerated (a factor of 22.5, remember), we thought you might wantto see what one of them would look like with a more realistic vertical scale.This image ofGula Mons( 8k) has beenaltered to more closely resemble the actual vertical scale. Credit: NASA. |
 | First order level observations in Brazil Special training mission of Joseph Lushene. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |  | Zeiss level instrument at the Instituto Geographico Militar Special training mission of Joseph Lushene. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection. |
 | Antarctic sea ice cover in February 1998 and September 1998. Graphic derived special sensor Microwave Imager satellite data. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Starfish attacking young oysters. Special equipment is used to dredge or scrape starfish off oyster beds in order to reduce the damage to the oysters. F&W 12,001. Credit: Fisheries. |
 | Ice diving in the Arctic requires special equipment and a smart dive plan. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |  | An early published diagram of the principle of echo-sounding. Published in Special Publication No. 3 of the International Hydrographic Bureau, October 1924 . This is among the earliest of published diagrams of the echo-sounding principle. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
 | Figure 66. Marconi echometer - a Langevin-Chilowsky echometer system presented at the Fourth Hydrographic Conference in Monaco under the name "Special Model for Hydrographic Studies and Shallow Water Soundings, Langevin-Chilowsky system. " This sounding system first became available in 1937. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |  | 13-meter GOES C antenna in foreground, 11-meter special purpose antenna, and 18-meter GOES B antenna in background. Credit: NOAA in Space. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
 |  |
| "Special hat" by Loretta Humble Commentary: "This photo was rejected as too dark, and a gallant sxc masked man fixed it for me." | "Special bug" by Julia Eisenberg Commentary: "Special bug." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Anne Morrow Lindbergh | To give without any reward, or any notice, has a special quality of its own. |
Georg C. Lichtenberg | The great rule: If the little bit you have is nothing special in itself, at least find a way of saying it that is a little bit special. |
Marcus Valerius Martial | That spot of earth has special charms for me, in which a limited income produces happiness, and moderate wealth abundance. |
Peter Abelard | Against the disease of writing one must take special precautions, since it is a dangerous and contagious disease. |
Ralph Waldo Emerson | 'Tis a superstition to insist on a special diet. All is made at last of the same chemical atoms. |
Ronald Reagan | God had a divine purpose in placing this land between two great oceans to be found by those who had a special love of freedom and courage. |
Walt Disney | Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarised in four C's. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage and Constancy, and the greatest of all is Confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably. |
William Shakespeare | Suit the action to the world, the world to the action, with this special observance, that you overstep not the modesty of nature. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Author | Date | Quotation |
John Locke | 1690 | King James the first, in his speech to the parliament, 1603, tells them thus, I will ever prefer the weal of the public, and of the whole commonwealth, in making of good laws and constitutions, to any particular and private ends of mine; thinking ever the wealth and weal of the commonwealth to be my greatest weal and worldly felicity; a point wherein a lawful king doth directly differ from a tyrant: for I do acknowledge, that the special and greatest point of difference that is between a rightful king and an usurping tyrant, is this, that whereas the proud and ambitious tyrant doth think his kingdom and people are only ordained for satisfaction of his desires and unreasonable appetites, the righteous and just king doth by the contrary acknowledge himself to be ordained for the procuring of the wealth and property of his people. (Second Treatise of Government) |
Communist Manifesto | 1848 | The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of Modern Industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product. (reference) |
Treaty of Versailles | 1919 | Special Clauses relating to the Danube. (reference) |
Winston S. Churchill | 1946 | This means a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States. ("Iron Curtain" Speech) |
United Nations | 1948 | Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. (reference) |
John F. Kennedy | 1961 | To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge --to convert our good words into good deeds--in a new alliance for progress--to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. (reference) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | This philosophy is found at great depths, and brought up by special search |
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Joyce, James | If any boys have special confessors perhaps it will be better for them not to change |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift, Jonathan | But this good prince was so gracious as to forgive the poor page his whipping, upon promise that he would do so no more, without special orders |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Need special teachers and schools. (references) | |
They may require special programs. (references) | ||
Some children benefit from special education. (references) | ||
Business | The PA has no special import provisions. (references) | |
Special monopoles or camouflaged antennas. (references) | ||
In France, a special regulation applies for wheelchairs. (references) | ||
Children | Croatia | Special education also is limited and poorly funded. (references) |
Uzbekistan | The State cares for the mentally disabled in special homes. (references) | |
Ukraine | There were only five special vocational schools for persons with disabilities. (references) | |
Civil Liberties | Laos | Foreign journalists must apply for special visas. (references) |
Yemen | Then it is submitted to a special committee for final approval. (references) | |
Ecuador | Military and minor applicants must comply with special requirements. (references) | |
Economic History | Kenya | Nairobi area has special status. (references) |
Chile | Chile has no special laws on franchises. (references) | |
Jordan | Judicial--civil, religious, special courts. (references) | |
Human Rights | Mozambique | Drug cases are subject to a special regime. (references) |
Mauritania | Some prisoners received special treatment based on family and position. (references) | |
Cyprus | Previously this required special permission, which was difficult to obtain. (references) | |
Indigenous People | Sri Lanka | Under a pilot program, Veddas received special identity cards to enable their use of these forest areas. (references) |
Canada | The treaty ended a range of special tax breaks and other benefits available under previous arrangements. (references) | |
Malaysia | The indigenous people of the Borneo states have no special government department dedicated to their concerns. (references) | |
Minorities | Hungary | The Romani minority poses a special challenge for the system of national minority self-governments. (references) |
Slovak Republic | On June 20, Klara Orgovanova was elected to become the new Special Government Commissioner for Roma Issues. (references) | |
Kuwait | Marriages pose special hardships because the offspring of male bidoon inherit the father's undetermined legal status. (references) | |
Political Economy | SWITZERLAND | Switzerland is not on the U.S. Special 301 List. (references) |
Eritrea | The use of a special court system limited due process. (references) | |
MOROCCO | Morocco is not on the Special 301 Watch List or Priority Watch List. (references) | |
Political Rights | Madagascar | Some voters were unable to obtain the special documents that would have permitted them to vote. (references) |
Malaysia | The Election Commission stated that the NGO's were free to do so, but the organization was accorded no special privileges. (references) | |
Turkmenistan | Special mailboxes were set up throughout the country and, in the first year, approximately 140,000 letters were received by the President. (references) | |
Trade | Pakistan | Imports from India are a special case. (references) |
Laos | LAOS HAS NO SPECIAL LABELING OR MARKING REQUIREMENTS. (references) | |
Brazil | Below is an illustrative list of special requirements. (references) | |
Travel | Canada | Canada has no special health risks. (references) |
Ghana | They also do a special business lunch. (references) | |
Netherlands | Some city streets have special bicycle paths. (references) | |
Women | Qatar | Non-Muslim wives inherit nothing, unless a special exception is arranged. (references) |
Senegal | Under certain conditions, a judge may grant a special dispensation to a person under age. (references) | |
Nepal | These cells include female officers who receive special training in handling victims of domestic violence. (references) | |
Worker Rights | Guatemala | The case is being investigated by the Special Prosecutor's Office. (references) |
Yemen | By special permit, children between the ages of 12 and 15 may work. (references) | |
El Salvador | The Labor Code applies in the EPZ's; there are no special EPZ labor regulations. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | ENCOMIAST, n. A special (but not particular) kind of liar. |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| Speaker | Phrase(s) |
Celine Dion | Of course. Of course. And it made even it more special, to think a day at a time. And even today I'm afraid of losing me, I'm afraid of losing him. Every day becomes a very special day now, and we got to be thankful for that. |
Conan O'Brien | Really, don't get me wrong. I'm very proud that I have a network special, but we still have to remember that cable is expanding and they've got some great channels, too. |
Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry | Well, as I think the story has been told, that special forces from the U.S. military came in with a helicopter, and did a phenomenal job. |
Mariah Carey | I think he's a great guy, I really do. And I really, really love his family. They really taught me something special, because coming from an interracial background, you know, you had the same type of background exactly. |
Mark Shields | The White House remains very special. We interviewed, I remember, Andrew Card, the chief of staff to President George W. Bush. And he was very candid about life expectancy of a chief of staff. |
Rush Limbaugh | If you want to try to change government, you're an evil special interest! |
Sally Jessy Raphael | They've got bikes now, and they've got clothes. We don't do this very often, but someone who wants to remain anonymous wanted to give you something very special. The key goes to a new home. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Speaker | Term | Phrase(s) |
George Washington | 1789-1797 | The acts of the last session which required special arrangements have been as far as circumstances would admit carried into operation. |
Thomas Jefferson | 1801-1809 | To have awaited a previous and special sanction by law would have lost occasions which might not be retrieved. |
Harry S. Truman | 1945-1953 | Both labor and management have a special interest. |
John F. Kennedy | 1961-1963 | Our balance of payments On one special problem, of great concern to our friends, and to us, I am proud to give the Congress an encouraging report. |
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | Among those efforts, that of Western Europe has a very special place in America's concern. |
Gerald Ford | 1974-1977 | In presenting the state of the Union to the Congress and to the American people, I have a special obligation as Commander in Chief to report on our national defense. |
Jimmy Carter | 1977-1981 | But additional jobs for the disadvantaged deserve special attention. |
Ronald Reagan | 1981-1989 | Of course, at my age, every night's a very special night. |
George Bush | 1989-1993 | We all have a special place in our hearts for the families of men and women serving in the Gulf. |
Bill Clinton | 1993-2001 | Facing up to special interests will require courage. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| "Special" is generally used as an adjective (general or positive) -- approximately 99.98% of the time. "Special" is used about 21,948 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 |
| Adjective (general or positive) | 99.98% | 21,943 | 405 |
| Noun (singular) | 0.02% | 4 | 175,879 |
| Total | 100.00% | 21,948 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Country | Name | Country | Name |
| China | Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Real Esta | India | Special Steels Ltd. |
| Japan | Kanto Special Steel Works, Ltd. | United Kingdom | Fidelity Special Values PLC |
| USA | Special Metals Corpn | ||
| (more examples...) |
Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.
Expressions using "special": (World Bank)Program(me)of Special Assistance(to Member Countries)(SAP) ♦ 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) ♦ Anniversaries and Special Events ♦ Application pilot for people with special needs ♦ asset consisting of special drawing rights ♦ by special permission ♦ child's special allowance ♦ commemorative special issue stamp ♦ container special handling order message ♦ counterpart of the net allocations of special drawing rights ♦ Einstein's special theory of relativity ♦ extra special ♦ First Special Service Force ♦ give a special performance ♦ give special treatment ♦ global special mobile ♦ grant a special privilege ♦ In special ♦ nowhere special ♦ on special occasions ♦ professor by special appointment ♦ Saturday night special ♦ selected special weather report ♦ special act ♦ Special activities ♦ Special Activities Division ♦ special administration ♦ special agency ♦ special agent ♦ special air operation ♦ special air report ♦ Special Air Service Regiment ♦ special assessment ♦ special assignment ♦ special attachment ♦ special auction ♦ special authorisation ♦ special bail ♦ special branch ♦ special break during noisy work ♦ special case ♦ special census ♦ special character ♦ special characters ♦ special charges ♦ special consignment ♦ special constable ♦ special contract ♦ special contract terms for the transfer of DP programs ♦ special correspondent ♦ special court ♦ special damage ♦ special day ♦ special delivery ♦ special demurrer ♦ special deposit ♦ special development area ♦ special diet ♦ special diet kitchen ♦ special discount price ♦ special dish ♦ special drawing rights ♦ special edition ♦ special education ♦ special effect ♦ special effects ♦ special effects generator ♦ special envoy ♦ special event charter flight ♦ Special Facility for Africa ♦ special fare ♦ special favor ♦ special favour ♦ special feature ♦ special field ♦ special flight ♦ Special Forces ♦ special friend ♦ special function ♦ special grade network trunk ♦ special group inclusive tour ♦ special hazard ♦ special homology ♦ special implementation project ♦ special information tone ♦ special injuction ♦ special interest ♦ special Interest Group ♦ special issue ♦ special job cover map ♦ special jury ♦ special knowledge ♦ special law ♦ special liking ♦ special measures ♦ special metaphysics ♦ special meteorological report ♦ special milk for infants ♦ special model ♦ special negotiating body ♦ special object. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "special": special-care, special-case, special-cheap-ish, special-day, special-edition, special-effect, special-effects, special-interest, special-needs, special-offer, special-project, special-purpose, special-purpose vehicle, special-quality, special-risk, special-school, special-subject, Special-to-theatre, special-train, special-trains. | |
Ending with "special": ex-special, extra-special. | |
| 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 |
special olympics | 1,359 | hospital for special surgery | 190 |
special education | 1,318 | special occasion gift | 187 |
the special | 1,072 | special occasions | 172 |
special force | 1,001 | special operations | 161 |
special occasion dress | 991 | special event planning | 156 |
cruise special | 660 | journal of special education | 155 |
board dyslexia program school special vancouver | 546 | special offer | 152 |
38 special | 454 | airfare special | 150 |
special effects | 432 | special ed | 144 |
special event | 369 | special education law | 140 |
airline special | 356 | special effects make up | 139 |
vacation special | 321 | special gift | 136 |
car rental special | 306 | internet access special | 136 |
g love and special sauce | 291 | hotel special | 125 |
las vegas special | 246 |
