Encyclopaedias

Encyclopaedia - also spelled encyclopedia - comes from the Greek enkyklios paideia, "general education". An encyclopaedia generally contains articles which include both historical information and current material. Encyclopaedias are therefore useful for obtaining an overview of topics. A dictionary, on the other hand, provides short definitions in one or more languages.

Many of encyclopedias and dictionaries we can find in local library:

Handbook of physics. - N.Y., 1996 - 1680 p.; ill.
Yavorsky B. Detlaf A. Handbook of Physics. Moscow, 1980. - 1132p.
Koshkin N. I. Handbook of Elementary Physics. - Moscow, 1989, - 272 p.
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Physics. - N. Y., 1992. - 1624 p.
Physik-Handbook. - Weinheim, 1991. - 318 p.
Thewlis J. Concise Dictionary of Physics and Related Subjects. - Oxford, 1979. - 370 p.
  You may either use a general encyclopaedia such as the New Encyclopaedia Britannica (Britannica Online), or a specialised publication such as McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. This provides broad coverage for the fields of science and technology, including biology and medicine. It consists of a series of articles which are usually illustrated and contain references to standard publications relating to the subject topic. The encyclopaedia is published in frequent editions, and is updated and complemented by the McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology.
There are many general dictionaries available on the web. A selection:

• HUMBUL on-line dictionaries
• iLoveLanguages - List of Dictionaries
• iTools!

There are also a number of encyclopaedias specifically about physics and in different fields of physics:

Encyclopedia of physical science and technology

edited by Robert A.Meyers. 2nd ed. Orlando: Academic Press, 1992. 18 vols. A work, aimed at students, research scientists and engineers. It contains over 700 articles, which include definitions and glossaries of terms.

Encyclopedia of physics

edited by R.G. Lerner and G.L. Trigg. 2nd ed. Weinheim: VCH, 1991. Contains short articles on all aspects of physics.

Encyclopedia of applied physics

edited by G.L Trigg et al. Weinheim: VCH, 1992-97. 8 vols.

Encyclopaedia of physics

edited by R.M. Besan?on. 3rd.ed. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1985. 1378 p. This single volume work contains over 300 relatively detailed articles on important concepts in physics. There are also short definitions of subjects that do not have the detailed treatment.

Encyclopedia of modern physics

edited by R. A. Meyers. Orlando: Academic Press, 1990. 773 p. The Encyclopedia of Modern Physics is intended to provide a survey of the most rapidly advancing fields of theoretical and applied physics for scientists and engineers in all fields of physical.

Handbuch der Physik (=Encyclopaedia of physics)

edited by S. Flügge. 2 ed. Berlin: Springer, 1955-88. A systematic treatise which covers the whole field of physics. The work is organised systematically in 54 volumes, some of which have several parts. The articles contain extensive lists of references. Over 80% of the text is in English, the remainder is written in German or French. Each volume has an English/German index. In 1988, volume 55 was published - an author and subject index.

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