Catalyst (disambiguation)

A catalyst is a substance which increases the rate of a chemical reaction.

Catalyst may also refer to:

Buildings

Economics and finance

Events

Media and entertainment

Games

Literature and publications

Catalyst (TV program)

Catalyst is the ABC's primary science journalism television series and the only science show on primetime television in Australia. Launched in 2001, it replaced Quantum, which had ceased the previous year. Catalyst is regularly broadcast on ABC 1 at 8:00 pm on Tuesdays and at 11:30 am Saturdays. Also repeated on ABC News 24 on Saturdays at 4:30 pm.

Catalyst celebrated its tenth year of production in 2010.

Description

The show broadcasts stories on scientific themes, and in particular significant recent developments and discoveries. It focuses primarily on stories relevant to Australia, but the series covers international developments as well. It attempts to convey information in a way that is not only accurate but also interesting and informative to the general population, often discussing the ethical, political, and other implications of scientific discoveries and research as well as the discoveries themselves.

The show's website describes it as follows:

Each week Catalyst brings you stories from Australia and around the world.

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre

The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre (originally known as The Museum of the Chemical Industry) is a science centre and museum focusing on chemistry and the history of the chemical industry. It is located near Spike Island in Widnes, Cheshire, and next to the River Mersey. The museum is accredited by the Arts Council England.

The centre contains static exhibitions, hands-on experiments and the Alchemy Theatre which gives shows on chemistry. Family workshops are arranged during school and bank holidays.

The centre is housed in an old four-storey building known as Tower Building constructed around 1860 by John Hutchinson as the administrative centre for his alkali chemical business. In 1989 a glass lift and an enclosed glazed roof-top observation deck, designed by Lord Austin-Smith were added to the building in order to develop it into a museum. In 1994–95, an extension was added to the north to provide an education centre and visitor services. The centre holds a collection of archives relating to the chemical industry, these include documents, photographs and the entire research archive of the ICI General Chemical Division.

Feint

Feint is a French term that entered English via the discipline of swordsmanship and fencing. Feints are maneuvers designed to distract or mislead, done by giving the impression that a certain maneuver will take place, while in fact another, or even none, will. In military tactics and many types of combat, there are two types of feints: feint attacks and feint retreats.

Attacks

A feint attack is designed to draw defensive action towards the point under assault. It is usually used as a diversion to force the enemy to concentrate more manpower in a given area, to weaken the opposing force in another area. Unlike a related diversionary maneuver, the demonstration, a feint involves actual contact with the enemy.

Retreats

A feint retreat is performed by briefly engaging the enemy, then retreating. It is intended to draw the enemy pursuit into a prepared ambush, or to cause disarray. For example, the Battle of Hastings was lost when Saxons pursued the Norman cavalry. This forfeited the advantage of height and the line was broken, providing the opportunity to fight in single handed combat on a neutral vantage point, a battle for which the Saxons were not ready. The Parthian shot is another example of a feint retreat, where mounted Parthian archers would retreat from a battle and then, while still riding, turn their bodies back to shoot at the pursuing enemy.