ESCAPE encyclopedia topics

fire escape, in architecture, device, either fixed or movable, to facilitate escape from a burning building. In the United States the term usually is applied to the common iron balconies and stairways or ladders that give exterior egress from each floor to the ground. In England the term refers to a portable extension ladder that may be wheeled up to a burning building to enable occupants to escape when ordinary exits are cut off.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

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escape velocity

escape velocity, the velocity a body must be given in order to escape the gravitational hold of some other larger body, e.g., the earth, moon, or sun. A body given less than the escape velocity will fall back toward the surface of the larger body; a body given a velocity equal to or greater than the escape velocity will still be attracted by the larger body, but this force will not be sufficient to cause it to return. Escape velocity depends on the mass of the larger body and the distance of the smaller body from its center, being proportional to the square root of the ratio of these two quantities. The velocity of escape from the earth at its surface is about 7 mi (11.3 km) per sec, or 25,000 mi per hr; from the moon's surface it is 1.5 mi (2.4 km) per sec; and for a body at the earth's distance from the sun to escape from the sun's gravitation, the velocity must be 26 mi (41 km) per sec.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press

fire escape

Means of rapid egress from a building, primarily intended for use in case of fire. Building codes define an exit as an enclosed and protected path of escape in the event of a fire, leading from an exit access through a combination of corridors, stairways, and doors to an exit discharge at an exterior court or public way. The term fire escape usually refers to open iron or steel balconies with steep stairways on the outside of buildings; often a retrofit of older buildings, these are rare in new construction. Other means of escape are by balconies leading to adjacent buildings, or through chutes, often used in hospitals.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

escape velocity

Speed sufficient for a body to escape from a gravitational centre of attraction without accelerating further. It decreases with altitude and equals the square root of 2 (about 1.414) times the speed needed to maintain a circular orbit at the same altitude. At the surface of Earth, disregarding atmospheric resistance, escape velocity is about 6.96 mi/second (11.2 km/second). Escape velocity from the surface of the Moon is about one-third of this.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

avoidance behaviour

Type of activity, exhibited by animals exposed to adverse stimuli, in which the tendency to flee or to act defensively is stronger than the tendency to attack. Vision is the sense that most often produces avoidance behaviour (e.g., small birds react to the sight of an owl), but sound (e.g., a warning cry) may do so as well.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.