DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 The·o·ry n.; pl. Theories
 1. A doctrine, or scheme of things, which terminates in speculation or contemplation, without a view to practice; hypothesis; speculation.
 Note: ☞ “This word is employed by English writers in a very loose and improper sense. It is with them usually convertible into hypothesis, and hypothesis is commonly used as another term for conjecture. The terms theory and theoretical are properly used in opposition to the terms practice and practical. In this sense, they were exclusively employed by the ancients; and in this sense, they are almost exclusively employed by the Continental philosophers.”
 2. An exposition of the general or abstract principles of any science; as, the theory of music.
 3. The science, as distinguished from the art; as, the theory and practice of medicine.
 4. The philosophical explanation of phenomena, either physical or moral; as, Lavoisier's theory of combustion; Adam Smith's theory of moral sentiments.
 Atomic theory, Binary theory, etc. See under Atomic, Binary, etc.
 Syn: -- Hypothesis, speculation.
 Usage: -- Theory, Hypothesis. A theory is a scheme of the relations subsisting between the parts of a systematic whole; an hypothesis is a tentative conjecture respecting a cause of phenomena.
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 Bi·na·ry a.  Compounded or consisting of two things or parts; characterized by two (things).
 Binary arithmetic, that in which numbers are expressed according to the binary scale, or in which two figures only,  0 and 1, are used, in lieu of ten; the cipher multiplying everything by two, as in common arithmetic by ten. Thus, 1 is one; 10 is two; 11 is three; 100 is four, etc. --Davies & Peck.
 Binary compound Chem., a compound of two elements, or of an element and a compound performing the function of an element, or of two compounds performing the function of elements.
 Binary logarithms, a system of logarithms devised by Euler for facilitating musical calculations, in which 1 is the logarithm of 2, instead of 10, as in the common logarithms, and the modulus 1.442695 instead of .43429448.
 Binary measure Mus., measure divisible by two or four; common time.
 Binary nomenclature Nat. Hist., nomenclature in which the names designate both genus and species.
 Binary scale Arith., a uniform scale of notation whose ratio is two.
 Binary star Astron., a double star whose members have a revolution round their common center of gravity.
 Binary theory Chem., the theory that all chemical compounds consist of two constituents of opposite and unlike qualities.