You searched for: “belt
Word Entries containing the term: “belt
belt-lightening
Measures to reduce expenditures, cut costs, and to eliminate deficits.
This entry is located in the following unit: Economical, Business, and Financial Terms + (page 2)
Kuiper belt
1. A ring of small astronomical objects orbiting through the outer solar system, beyond the farthest planets, Neptune and Pluto.

It is believed that the Kuiper belt is a source of comets.

2. A disk-shaped swarm of 200 million comets and comet fragments located from just beyond the orbit of Neptune and extending past Pluto.

Named after Gerard Peter Kuiper (1905-1973), a Dutch-born U.S. astronomer who made extensive studies of the solar system. His discoveries included the atmosphere of the planet Mars and that of Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn.

His spectroscopic studies of Uranus and Neptune led to the discovery of features subsequently named "Kuiper bands", which indicate the presence of methane.

He was an adviser to many NASA exploratory missions, and pioneered the use of telescopes on high-flying aircraft.

This entry is located in the following unit: Astronomy and related astronomical terms (page 14)
seatbelt, seat belt, safety belt
A restraining belt attached to a vehicle seat which is fastened around passengers and which is intended to keep a person in place in order to avoid injuries in accidents where the occupant could be thrown against a solid object.

A seat belt improves a passenger's chance of surviving a crash by 50 to 75 percent, mainly by preventing inertia from throwing the person through the windshield. It also spreads the force of an impact over a larger area of the body, making injuries less severe.

A seat belt also stretches which slows the passenger down with less velocity so the body feels less force.

This entry is located in the following unit: Automobile or Related Car Terms (page 5)