Actuator - Mechanical or electrical devices that cause motion.  Like a motor, servo, pneumatic pump, hydraulic pump, etc.

Algebra - Math that uses representations of letters and symbols in it's formulas and equations.

Ambient light - This is the reflected light.  If you have light coming through a window and it is not direct sun light (during the day) it is ambient light (reflected light) reflected from other buildings, the ground, and other sources. Usually reflected off of light colors.  Dark colors soak in the light.

Ambient sound - This is reflected sound.  This is not direct sound.  This is sound that bounces off of objects or walls that reflect sound.

Autonomous - Automated or on auto.  If a machine is autonomous it runs by itself based on programming, sensors, possibly motors, etc.

Axle - a rod or spindle.  You may even view it as a pole.  The axle normally has a wheel(s) in the center or on the outer edges.

Angle beam -  This is referring to the long beam like parts that have a bend from 90 to 30 degrees created by LEGO.  These are bent beams with holes that follow the bend.

Area - is a quantity expressing the two-dimensional size of a defined part of a surface, typically a region bounded by a closed curve. The term surface area refers to the total area of the exposed surface of a 3-dimensional solid, such as the sum of the areas of the exposed sides of a polyhedron. Area is an important invariant in the differential geometry of surfaces.

Beam -  This is referring to long parts in the NXT, RCX, or Technic sets by LEGO that have a series of holes lined in a straight.  The beams are measured by holes and can be measured in "cm" (centimeters).  There is also something called a Technic beam which is really a Technic Brick.  See Technic Brick.

Behavior - A behavior is a set of instructions that is programmed into the robot that allows the robot to do specific tasks. 

Bushing - This is referring to a couple of parts from the NXT, RCX, or Technic sets by LEGO.  This particular part is a piece that either holds things on an axle or helps space out things by being a spacer.  This comes in two particular parts that are determined by measured space.  One is called a "Full Bushing" and the other is a "Half Bushing".  A full bushing is approximately the size of one hole space of a beam.  The halft bushing is only a half of the hole on a beam.

CAD or computer aided design - The use of computer programs and systems to design detailed two- or three-dimensional models of physical objects, such as mechanical parts, buildings, and molecules.

Calculus - Most basically, calculus is the study of change, in the same way that geometry is the study of space.

Capacitor - A capacitor stores energy from an energy source.  The purpose is to store and release the energy.  A capacitor could be charged and then release it's energy into rechargeable batteries or released into a motor.  See LEGO Capacitor.

Circumference - is the distance around a closed curve. Circumference is a kind of perimeter.

COG [AKA, Center Of Gravity] - The center of gravity or COG is where the balancing point is located.  The balancing point will determine where the weight is distributed to and how effective your robot will maneuver.

Cog -  Notice the lower and upper case of the letters.  This is referring to a wheel that have projections coming out of the rim.  Looks kind of like a gear and acts like one at times.  The projections are not teeth rather they would look more like dowls, squares, or pegs rather than sharp ends.

Coordinate - Mathematics. Any of a set of two or more numbers used to determine the position of a point, line, curve, or plane in a space of a given dimension with respect to a system of lines or other fixed references.

Crown gear - See Gear.

Device - That which is devised, or formed by design; a contrivance; an invention; a project; a scheme; often, a scheme to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice.

Diameter - Mathematics.

1. A straight line segment passing through the center of a figure, especially of a circle or sphere, and terminating at the periphery.
2. The length of such a segment.

Distance - is a numerical description of how far apart objects are. In physics or everyday discussion, distance may refer to a physical length, a period of time, or an estimation based on other criteria (e.g. "two counties over"). In mathematics, distance must meet more rigorous criteria.

In most cases there is symmetry and "distance from A to B" is interchangeable with "distance between B and A".

Electrical - Pertaining to electricity; consisting of, containing, derived from, or produced by, electricity; as, electric power or virtue; an electric jar; electric effects; an electric spark.

Energy - 

Kinetic Energy - Work that is needed to a mass.

Potential Energy - Stored energy that can be released to become kinetic energy.

Sound Energy - Energy waves or frequencies measured in decibels normally associated with hearing.

Light Energy - Energy waves of electromagnetic radiation.

Thermal Energy - Heat energy.

Gravitational Energy - Is the energy associated with the gravitational field.  Deals with gravity.

Elastic Energy - is the energy which causes or is released by the elastic distortion of a solid or a fluid.

Electromagnetic Energy -  (sometimes abbreviated EMR) takes the form of self-propagating waves in a vacuum or in matter. EM radiation has an electric and magnetic field component which oscillate in phase perpendicular to each other and to the direction of energy propagation. Electromagnetic radiation is classified into types according to the frequency of the wave, these types include (in order of increasing frequency): radio waves, microwaves, terahertz radiation, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays. Of these, radio waves have the longest wavelengths and Gamma rays have the shortest. A small window of frequencies, called visible spectrum or light, is sensed by the eye of various organisms, with variations of the limits of this narrow spectrum.

Euclidean geometry - is a mathematical system attributed to the Greek mathematician Euclid of Alexandria. Euclid's Elements is the earliest known systematic discussion of geometry. It has been one of the most influential books in history, as much for its method as for its mathematical content. The method consists of assuming a small set of intuitively appealing axioms, and then proving many other propositions (theorems) from those axioms. Although many of Euclid's results had been stated by earlier Greek mathematicians, Euclid was the first to show how these propositions could be fit together into a comprehensive deductive and logical system.The Elements begin with plane geometry, still taught in secondary school as the first axiomatic system and the first examples of formal proof. The Elements goes on to the solid geometry of three dimensions, and Euclidean geometry was subsequently extended to any finite number of dimensions. Much of the Elements states results of what is now called number theory, proved using geometrical methods. For over two thousand years, the adjective "Euclidean" was unnecessary because no other sort of geometry had been conceived. Euclid's axioms seemed so intuitively obvious that any theorem proved from them was deemed true in an absolute sense. Today, however, many other self-consistent non-Euclidean geometries are known, the first ones having been discovered in the early 19th century. It also is no longer taken for granted that Euclidean geometry describes physical space. An implication of Einstein's theory of general relativity is that Euclidean geometry is a good approximation to the properties of physical space only if the gravitational field is not too strong.

Fluid dynamics - is the sub-discipline of fluid mechanics dealing with fluid flow: fluids (liquids and gases) in motion. It has several subdisciplines itself, including aerodynamics (the study of gases in motion) and hydrodynamics (the study of liquids in motion). Fluid dynamics has a wide range of applications, including calculating forces and moments on aircraft, determining the mass flow rate of petroleum through pipelines, predicting weather patterns, understanding nebulae in interstellar space and reportedly modeling fission weapon detonation. Some of its principles are even used in traffic engineering, where traffic is treated as a continuous fluid.

Fluid dynamics offers a systematic structure that underlies these practical disciplines and that embraces empirical and semi-empirical laws, derived from flow measurement, used to solve practical problems. The solution of a fluid dynamics problem typically involves calculation of various properties of the fluid, such as velocity, pressure, density, and temperature, as functions of space and time.

Force - A strength or energy as an attribute of physical action or movement.

Friction - Is the force resisting relative lateral motion.

Static Friction - Non-moving surfaces.

Kinetic Friction - Between moving surfaces.

Gears - Normally a circular object with teeth that can interlock with other gears.  There are many types of gears with different shapes of teeth.  Some gears are half, plus or minus, filled with teeth made for specific tasks.  Other gears have threading that goes around a cylindrical center normally called a worm gear.  Some gears have teeth that go side ways to allow for 90 degree gearing.  Some look like crowns appropriately named, "Crown Gears".

Gear ratio - The comparison of two gears in numeric representation.  A 40 tooth gear compared to an 8 tooth gear has a ratio of 1:5 that translates to one rotation of the 40 tooth gear is equivalent to 5 rotations of an 8 tooth gear.

Geometry - Mathematical view of shapes and measurement of.

Grid or grids -  This is referring to the female end of a brick or plate piece by LEGO.  This female end interlocks with studs (see Stud or Studs) from another piece.  The studs are made to fit exactly into a grid space causing the two to interlock. 

Hydraulic - Liquid moving under pressure in a confined space.

Interlock - Two things overlapping and fitting together as to cause the two pieces to stick together without assistence of glue or tape.

LEGO Capacitor - This Capacitor is available as part of Legos eLab Dacta range.

It is available from the Commotion Group, Bricklink and other Dacta distributors.

Its part number is 32342 and it comes in set number 9916-1 (as well as 9685 Green Car Set and 9684 Renewable Energy Set.)

Set information from Peeron.

According to lego it is a 1F(as capcitors go thats huge by the way) 2.5V capacitor.

Other specs

• Charging voltage maximum 4 V
• Maximum charging and discharging current 0-250 mA
• Red LED indicator when fully charged at 2.5 V
• Protected against reverse polarity; capacitor will not fully charge
• Charged to 2.5 V, the capacitor will store about 3.125 joules of energy

It is not waterproof - so precautions should be taken.

Light sensor - A device that reads the amount of light that reflect back from either it's own generated light or from ambient light.

Mechanical - A machine or moving parts of a machine.

Microcontroller - A microcomputer, microprocessor, or other equipment used for precise process control in data handling, communication, and manufacturing.

Momentum - Is the product of the mass and velocity of an object (p = mv).

Motor - An electrical device that rotates continuously based on magnetic polarity.  Normally used for turning wheels or propellers.

Newtonian 3 laws of physics:

First law

It is possible to select a set of reference frames, called inertial reference frames, observed from which a particle moves without any change in velocity if no net force acts on it. This law is often simplified into the sentence, "A body continues to maintain its state of rest or of uniform motion unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force." This law is known as the law of inertia.

Second law

Observed from an inertial reference frame, the net force on a particle is proportional to the time rate of change of its linear momentum: F = d(mv)/dt. Momentum mv is the product of mass and velocity. Force and momentum are vector quantities and the resultant force is found from all the forces present by vector addition. This law is often stated as, "F = ma: the net force on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration."

Third law

Whenever a particle A exerts a force on another particle B, B simultaneously exerts a force on A with the same magnitude in the opposite direction. The strong form of the law further postulates that these two forces act along the same line. This law is often simplified into the sentence, "To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

Physics - is one of the oldest academic disciplines, perhaps the oldest through its inclusion of astronomy.^[5] Over the last two millennia, physics had been considered synonymous with philosophy, chemistry, and certain branches of mathematics and biology, but during the Scientific Revolution in the 16th century, it emerged to become a unique modern science in its own right.^[6] However, in some subject areas such as in mathematical physics and quantum chemistry, the boundaries and the borderlines of physics remain difficult to distinguish.

Pivot turn - The act of turning on a point or as if on a pivot.  The pivot is usually located in the center of all motorized or geared wheels.

Pneumatic - Air moving under pressure in a confined space.

Power - is the rate at which work is performed or energy is transmitted, or the amount of energy required or expended for a given unit of time. As a rate of change of work done or the energy of a subsystem, power is:

where P is power, W is work and t is time.

The average power (often simply called "power" when the context makes it clear) is the average amount of work done or energy transferred per unit time. The instantaneous power is then the limiting value of the average power as the time interval Δt approaches zero.

When the rate of energy transfer or work is constant, all of this can be simplified to

,

where W and E are, respectively, the work done or energy transferred in time t (usually measured in seconds).

Pulley - A rope and wheel, with a groove on the rim, system that changes the direction of the force.  So instead of lifting an object, we can use the pulley to pull the object.  The force gets distributed to different areas rather than on just the person trying to lift making the pull easier than lifting. 

Pump - Most common as a cylindrical object within a cylindrical hole or object that moves in and out based on liquid pressure, air pressure, or some type of gas pressure.

Pythagoras - He is best known for the Pythagorean theorem, which bears his name. Known as "the father of numbers", Pythagoras made influential contributions to philosophy and religious teaching in the late 6th century BC. Because legend and obfuscation cloud his work even more than with the other pre-Socratics, one can say little with confidence about his life and teachings. We do know that Pythagoras and his students believed that everything was related to mathematics and that numbers were the ultimate reality and, through mathematics, everything could be predicted and measured in rhythmic patterns or cycles. According to Iamblichus, Pythagoras once said that "number is the ruler of forms and ideas and the cause of gods and demons."

Radius - Mathematics.

1. A line segment that joins the center of a circle with any point on its circumference.
2. A line segment that joins the center of a sphere with any point on its surface.
3. A line segment that joins the center of a regular polygon with any of its vertices.
4. The length of any such line segment.

Reflect - In our case this means bounce back of either light or sound.

Robot - An autonomous machine that is able to interact with its environment without human intervention.

Rotation sensor - This device allows a sensor to read the degrees in rotation through a turning wheel filled with precise measurement of cut out holes.  This wheel has enough holes and filled in areas to make up 360 degrees of a circle.  The sensor is able to detect these holes and filled in areas of the circle.  The software that speaks to the sensor then makes sense of the amount of rotational degrees to give the user an exact number read in degrees.

Semi-autonomous - Partially automated or partially on auto.  A machine that is semi-autonomous has some human intervention involved in its operation.

Servo - An electrical device that has limited rotation based on magnetic polarity.  Normally used on machines that require limited motion.

Sound sensor - A device that detects either direct or ambient sound measured in decibels.  Some sound sensors are able to detect very soft sounds while others are able to detect very loud sounds.  The sound sensor on the NXT robotic system is finely tuned to detect noise levels that the human ear can audibly hear.

Speed - is the rate of motion, or equivalently the rate of change in position: the distance traveled per unit of time.

Speed is a scalar quantity with dimensions length/time; the equivalent vector quantity to speed is velocity. Speed is measured in the same physical units of measurement as velocity, but does not contain the element of direction that velocity has. Speed is thus the magnitude component of velocity.

In mathematical notation, if an object traveling at constant speed moves a distance x in time t, its speed, denoted by v, is simply given by

.

In many situations, objects do not move at a constant speed. For example, if a car goes 60 miles in 2 hours, its average speed during that time is 30 miles per hour, but its instantaneous speed may have varied. For an object which is accelerating or decelerating, the instantaneous speed is given by

,

where dx is the distance it travels in a very short period of time dt. If the object travels a total distance x in time t, its average speed over that time is given by

.

Stud or studs - These are referring to little circular flat headed bumps on a LEGO brick or plate.  These little flat headed bumps are studs that interlock with a grid (for the lack of a better term) which are a series of cut grooves (set in patterns) that looks like a grid.  The studs are known as the male while the grid is also known as the female.  Both grid and stud or grids and studs are normally placed on a single brick or single plate; but, not all bricks and plates have grids.

Technic Brick - A Technic Brick refers to parts that are long with studs on one side of the long, grids on the opposite side of the long, and holes on the long.  These pieces come from the NXT, RCX, and Technic sets by LEGO.  The size of these bricks AKA Technic Beams (by a few) are measured by studs and not holes. 

Terrain - Surface environment.  Depending on weather conditions and area of the world determines the surface of an environment.

Tire tread - Wheel:  The terrain determines the tread on a tire.

Torque - is the tendency of a force vector to rotate an object about some axis (or fulcrum or pivot). Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist. The symbol for torque is τ, the Greek letter tau.

Torque is also called moment or moment of force. This should neither be confused with the various other definitions of "moment" in physics nor with "momentum". In the context of mechanical engineering, the terms "moment" and "torque" are not necessarily interchangeable; rather, one or the other may be preferred in a specific context. For example, "torque" is usually used to describe a rotational force down a shaft, for example a turning screw-driver, whereas "moment" is more often used to describe a bending force on a beam.

The magnitude of torque depends on three quantities: First, the force applied; second, the length of the lever arm connecting the axis to the point of force application; and third, the angle between the two. In symbols:

where

• is the torque vector and is the magnitude of the torque,
• is the lever arm vector (vector from the axis to the point of force application), and is the length (or magnitude) of the lever arm vector,
• is the force vector, and is the magnitude of the force,
• denotes the cross product,
• is the angle between the force vector and the lever arm vector.

Touch sensor - A device that detects a press, bump, and when the device is not pressed.  On more primitive robotic kits the touch sensor is more like an on/off switch.  On more robust robotic platforms the touch sensor is usually designed to be more sensitive than just on/off.  The more advanced type of touch sensor is able to detect whether the sensor has soft pressure against it or hard pressure.

Traction - Adhesive friction, another name for static friction (non-sliding friction). Traction is never properly used to mean kinetic friction (sliding friction).

Trigonometry - Trigonometry deals with relationships between the sides and the angles of triangles and with the trigonometric functions, which describe those relationships.

Ultrasonic sensor - A device that sends out a high frequency sound wave that bounces off and object and returns on the receiving end of the device.  This is normally used to give the user a distance reading.

Variable - Able to be changed or adapt.  When we refer to this term in programming this is used to either be fixed or able to change.  For example, when some light changes in intensity the light sensor has to change with that in order to figure out what's going on.  Perhaps the task was to read the light and then drive toward it.  But since the light sensor on the simple stage is programmed to read a single state of light intensity if the light changes the robot won't know what to do.  However, if we put a variable in the program and gave the light sensor a range to read it can distinguish between dark and variable light intensity ranges.

Weight Distribution - A measured downward force based on gravity and the mass of the object with the force distributed over an area.

Wheel - A donut like object.  A circle with a hole in the middle.  This object allows for rolling or allows an object like a rope to move based on the wheel's rotation movement.

Worm gear - See Gear.

x, y, z - This refers to coordinates in a 3D environment.  x is usually the horizontal while y is the vertical and z is the depth.  What is confusing at times is what illustrations come into play.  The x, y, z axis is usually determined by the position of the environment or object.  You can also view x as west to east or vice-a-versa, y could be south to north or vice-a-versa, and z going up and down rather than east, west, north or south.  When we talk about CAD or computer aided design or even 3D modeling, x,y,z helps the designer create 3 dimensional models of objects.