Buffon \btB-'f 6 n V G(eorges)-L(ouis) Leclerc, comte de (b. Sept. 7, 1707, Montbard, Fr.—d. April 16, 1788, Paris) French naturalist. He studied mathematics, medicine, and botany until a duel forced him to cut short his studies. He settled on his family’s estate, where he researched the calculus of probability, the physical sciences, and forest management. Appointed keeper of the royal botanical garden (Jardin du Roi) in 1739, he was also assigned the cataloging of the royal natural history collec¬ tions, an undertaking that grew into his comprehensive work Histoire naturelle, generate et particuliere (1749-1804), an attempt to account for all known flora and fauna, of which he published 36 of the proposed 50 volumes before his death. He was ennobled in 1773.
bug Coding error in a computer program that prevents it from function¬ ing as designed. Most software companies have a quality-assurance department which is charged with finding program bugs while the pro¬ gram is in development (debugging); bugs are also often detected by means of beta testing (testing of a product, often by potential consumers, before it is placed on the market). The term originated in a computer con¬ text in 1945 when a moth flew into and jammed an electrical relay of the Harvard Mark II computer; it was extracted and taped into the log book with the inscription “First actual case of bug being found” (the term hav¬ ing previously been used for other kinds of mechanical defects).
bug Commonly, any insect; scientifically, any member of the insect order Heteroptera. In scientific usage, when the word “bug” is part of the com¬ mon name for a member of the order Heteroptera, it is a separate word (e.g., “chinch bug”); when used as part of the common name for an organism that is not a heteropteran, it is not separated (e.g., the ladybug, in the order Coleoptera). In common usage, there are many exceptions to this convention (e.g., bedbugs are heteropterans).
Bug \'bug\ River or Western Bug River River, eastern Europe. Ris¬ ing in western Ukraine, it flows north along the Poland-Ukraine and Poland-Belarus borders to Brest, and turns west into Poland to the Vistula River north of Warsaw, running a total of 516 mi (830 km). It is navigable below Brest. In World War I several battles were fought along its course in 1915. About 200 mi (322 km) of its central course formed part of the Curzon Line, a demarcation line between Poland and Soviet Russia for much of the 20 th century.
bugaku \bu-'ga-ku\ Repertoire of stylized dances of the Japanese impe¬ rial court, derived from the traditional dance forms of China, Korea, India, and Southeast Asia. The dances are divided into two basic forms: “dances of the left” ( saho no mai), accompanied by music derived from China, with dancers wearing red costumes; and “dances of the right” ( uho samai no mai), accompanied by music introduced from Korea, with dancers wearing costumes of blue or green. The dancers wear elaborate masks of painted wood to portray fictional characters.
Buganda \bii-'gan-d 3 \ Precolonial kingdom, East Africa. Located along the northern shore of Lake Victoria in present-day Uganda, the kingdom was founded in the late 14th century by the Ganda people. Ruled by the kabaka, or king, by the 19th century Buganda was the most powerful kingdom in the area. In 1900 it became a British protectorate. The Ganda subsequently played a major role in assisting British administration in East Africa. When Uganda became independent in 1962, Buganda was accorded special federal status within the new country. Ensuing tensions with the central government led in 1967 to the kingdom’s abolition and the area’s integration into Uganda. Buganda was restored in 1993.
Bugatti \bu-'gat-te\, Ettore (Arco Isidoro) (b. Sept. 15, 1881, Milan, Italy—d. Aug. 21, 1947, Paris, France) Italian builder of racing and luxury automobiles. His factory at Mosheim, Alsace (founded 1909), produced a highly successful low-powered racer for Le Mans. His luxurious Type 41 (“Golden Bugatti” or “La Roy ale”), produced in the 1920s, was prob¬ ably the most meticulously built of all cars; no more than eight were con¬ structed. His firm did not survive long after his death.
Buginese \,b 3 g- 3 -'nez\ Culturally dominant ethnic group of Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia. Their trading-port city Macassar (modern Ujung Pandang) fell to the Dutch in 1667, and they emigrated to other parts of the Malay Peninsula, establishing Buginese states in Selangor and Riau. They continued to harry the Dutch and also fought with the Malays. Their conflicts with the latter cost them their supremacy in the region by 1800. Early converts to Buddhism, the Buginese were converted to Islam in the 17th century. Today they number about 3.3 million. Their village economy is based on rice cultivation and some trade between islands.
bugle Soprano brass instrument historically used for hunting and military signaling. It developed from an 18th-century semicircular German hunt¬ ing horn with widely expanding bore. In the 19th century the semicircle was reshaped into an oblong double loop. Natural bugles use only har¬ monics 2-6 (producing tones of the C triad) in their calls (“Reveille,” “Taps,” etc.). The keyed bugle, patented in 1810, has six sideholes and keys which give it a complete chromatic scale. In the 1820s valves were added to produce the flugelhorn and, in lower ranges, the baritone, eupho¬ nium, and saxhorns.
building code Systematic statement of a body of rules that govern and constrain the design, construction, alteration, and repair of buildings. Such codes are based on requirements for the safety, health, and quality of life of building users and neighbors, and vary from city to city. Model codes developed by states, professional societies, and trade associations— including the BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators) coda, National Building Code, Uniform Building Code, and Standard Building Code—are typically adopted by local communities, with amendments. New York City’s code is the oldest (1916) and, because of the city’s population density and such concerns as fire prevention, adequate light, and ventilation, the most stringent.
building construction Techniques and industry involved in the assembly and erection of structures. Early humans built primarily for shelter, using simple methods. Building materials came from the land, and fabrication was dictated by the limits of the materials and the builder’s hands. The erection sequence involved, as now, first placing a foundation (or using the ground). The builder erected the structural system; the struc¬ tural material (masonry, mud, or logs) served as both skeleton and enclo¬ sure. Traditional bearing-wall and post-and-beam systems eventually gave
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
building stone ► Bulgaria I 291
way to framed structures, and builders became adept at sealing and fire¬ proofing with a variety of claddings (exterior coverings) and finishes. Steel-framed buildings are usually enclosed by curtain walls. In modern- day construction, sheathing the skeleton of the building is only the begin¬ ning; specialists then begin the bulk of the work inside, installing plumbing, electrical wiring, HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning), win¬ dows, floor coverings, plasterwork, moldings, ceramic tile, cabinets, and other features. See also architecture.