All articles starting with L
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Load balancing (computing)
Load balancing, or load distribution, distributes incoming network requests across a pool of backend servers using algorithms such as round robin and least connections to maximize throughput.
Load break switch
A load break switch (LBS), also called a switch-disconnector, is a switching device that interrupts load current but not faults, so it is often paired with fuses.
Load cell
A load cell is a transducer that converts mechanical force, such as weight, tension, or compression, into a measurable electrical signal, and it is the sensing element of most electronic scales.
Load factor (aeronautics)
Load factor in aeronautics is the percentage of available airline seating capacity that is actually sold and flown, the industry's standard capacity utilization measure, reported monthly and watched because an empty seat flown is unrecoverable revenue.
Load line (watercraft)
A load line, also called the Plimsoll line, is a mark on a merchant ship's hull showing the deepest safe loading, first required by Britain's 1876 Shipping Act.
Load pull
Load pull is an RF measurement technique that varies the impedance seen by a device under test, usually a power transistor, to find the load giving best power, gain, or efficiency.
Load rating
Load rating is the engineering process of determining a bridge's safe load-carrying capacity, required federally for US highway bridges and driving load posting and permit decisions.
Load rejection
Load rejection is the sudden loss of electrical load on a generating unit, typically when the generator circuit breaker opens, leaving the turbine driving an unloaded generator.
Load shedding
Load shedding is the deliberate, preplanned dropping of electrical load in stages, triggered by falling frequency, to keep a power system stable and prevent a total blackout.
Load shifting
Load shifting is the practice of moving electricity consumption from periods of high demand and high prices to periods when demand and prices are lower, without reducing total energy consumed, typically through storage or rescheduling.
Load testing
Load testing is a family of mechanical tests that apply controlled force to a specimen to measure deformation, yield, and failure, most commonly in tensile mode.
Load-bearing wall
A load-bearing wall is a structural wall that carries loads from the roof, floors, and walls above down to the foundations, typically built of concrete, blockwork, or brick.
Load-sensing hydraulic circuit
A load-sensing hydraulic circuit, usually abbreviated LS, is a hydraulic system in which the pump adjusts to the highest load pressure, supplying only demanded flow.
Loadable kernel module
A loadable kernel module (LKM) is an object file that extends a running operating system kernel at runtime, typically providing device drivers or file systems.
Loaded language
Loaded language, also called emotive or loaded words, is the propaganda and rhetoric technique of choosing emotionally charged wording beyond what facts support. Rooted in Stevenson's 1937 emotive meaning, it is the most frequent labeled technique in propaganda-detection corpora.
Loaded sock
Loaded sock: an improvised weapon made by filling and knotting a sock with rocks, batteries, a padlock, or similar dense objects; treated in law as a dangerous weapon based on use. Distinct from the police less-lethal sock round and from socks used to conceal guns.
Loaded Weapon 1
Loaded Weapon 1 is a 1993 American parody film starring Emilio Estevez and Samuel L. Jackson. It spoofs the Lethal Weapon series while detectives investigate a drug plot.
Loader (equipment)
A loader, also known as a front-end loader, is a machine that lifts and moves material such as soil and gravel with a front bucket on hydraulic arms.
Loading coil
A loading coil, also called a Pupin coil, is an inductor placed in series with a telephone line at regular intervals to improve voice-frequency response, making long-distance telephony practical.
Loading dose
Loading dose: an initial drug dose larger than the maintenance dose, calculated as (Cp × Vd)/F, given to reach therapeutic plasma concentrations rapidly instead of waiting about 5 half-lives for steady state.
Loading gauge
The loading gauge, also known as the clearance diagram, is the maximum height and width profile a railway vehicle and its load may occupy on a line.
Loading test
A loading test, also called a cyclic test, applies controlled mechanical loads, often in repeated cycles, to a structure or material to measure strength, stiffness, and failure behavior.
Loadsmart
Loadsmart is a New York-based freight technology company founded in 2014 by Felipe Capella and Ricardo Salgado, providing digital freight brokerage and dock scheduling software.
Loai Naseem
Loai Naseem, also printed Loay Naseem, is a Saudi fashion designer and entrepreneur who co-founded Lomar, the Jeddah menswear brand known for redefining the traditional Saudi thobe.
Loam
Loam, also known as loam soil, is a soil texture class with a balanced mixture of sand, silt, and clay, conventionally about 40 percent sand, 40 percent silt, and 20 percent clay.
Loan
A loan, also called money lending, is an advance of principal repaid with interest over a term; US household debt reached $18.04 trillion at the end of 2024, mostly mortgages.
Loan (sports)
Loan (sports): temporary transfer of a professional player's registration, chiefly in football. FIFA's 2022 RSTP loan rules cap loans at one year, three per club pair, six total, with exemptions for under-21 and club-trained players.
Loan guarantee
A loan guarantee is a commitment by a guarantor, usually a government, to pay a lender principal and interest owed if the borrower defaults, though the borrower remains fully liable for the debt.
Loan loss provision
A loan loss provision is the expense a lender records each period to adjust its allowance for credit losses, the balance sheet account for expected uncollectible loans.
Loan shark
A loan shark is a person or business that lends money without the legal authorization required in its jurisdiction, typically charging very high returns and often enforcing repayment through pressure, intimidation, or violence.