fundamental theorem of algebra Theorem of equations proved by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1799. It states that every polynomial equation of degree n with complex number coefficients has n roots, or solutions, in the complex numbers.
fundamental theorem of arithmetic Fundamental principle of number theory proved by Carl Friedrich Gauss in 1801. It states that any integer greater than 1 can be expressed as the product of prime numbers in only one way.
fundamental theorem of calculus Basic principle of calculus. It relates the derivative to the integral and provides the principal method for evaluating definite integrals (see differential calculus; integral calculus). In
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fundamentalism ► furniture I 721
brief, it states that any function that is continuous (see continuity) over an interval has an antiderivative (a function whose rate of change, or deriva¬ tive, equals the function) on that interval. Further, the definite integral of such a function over an interval a < x < b is the difference F(b) - F(a), where F is an antiderivative of the function. This particularly elegant theorem shows the inverse function relationship of the derivative and the integral and serves as the backbone of the physical sciences. It was articu¬ lated independently by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
fundamentalism, Christian Conservative Protestant movement that arose out of 19th-century millennialism in the U.S. It emphasized as fundamental the literal truth of the Bible, the imminent physical Second Coming of Jesus, the virgin birth, resurrection, and atonement. It spread in the 1880s and ’90s among Protestants dismayed by labour unrest, Catholic immigration, and biblical criticism. Scholars at Princeton Theo¬ logical Seminary provided intellectual arguments, published as 12 pam¬ phlets (1910-15). Displeasure over the teaching of evolution, which many believed could not be reconciled with the Bible, and over biblical criti¬ cism gave fundamentalism momentum in the 1920s. In the 1930s and ’40s, many fundamentalist Bible institutes and colleges were established, and fundamentalist groups within some Baptist and Presbyterian denomi¬ nations broke away to form new churches. In the later 20th century, fun¬ damentalists made use of television as a medium for evangelizing and became vocal in politics as the “Christian right.” See also evangelicalism; Pentecostalism.
fundamentalism, Islamic Conservative religious movement that seeks a return to Islamic values and Islamic law (see Sharia) in the face of Western modernism, which is seen as corrupt and atheistic. Though popularly associated in the West with Middle Eastern terrorists, only a few Islamic fundamentalists are terrorists, and not all Arab terrorists are fundamentalists. The Iranian revolution of 1979 established an Islamic fundamentalist state, and the Taliban has established its version of the same in much of Afghanistan. Islamic fundamentalist movements have varying degrees of support in North Africa, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Muslim S.East Asia, but Islamic fundamentalism represents a minority viewpoint in the context of world Islam.
Fundy, Bay of Inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, southeastern Canada Located between the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, it extends 94 mi (151 km) inland and is 32 mi (52 km) wide at its entrance. It is noted for its fast-running tides, which may produce rises as great as 70 ft (21 m), the highest in the world. Noted also for the spectacular rock formations and forests of its shorelines, it has several deepwater harbours, including one at St. John, N.B. In 1948 a 51,000-acre (20,700-hectare) section of the bay’s New Brunswick coast was set aside as Fundy National Park.
Funen Danish Fyn \'fuen\ Island and county (pop., 2001: 472,064) of Denmark. It covers an an area of 1,346 sq mi (3,486 sq km), and it is located between Sjaelland and the Jutland Peninsula. Its administrative centre and largest city is Odense. The island is a fertile agricultural region. Road and rail bridges and femes connect the island with the rest of Den¬ mark.
fungal diseases or mycoses Diseases caused by any fungus that invades the tissues. Superficial fungal infections (e.g., athlete’s foot) are confined to the skin. Subcutaneous infections, which extend into tissues and sometimes adjacent structures such as bone and organs, are rare and often chronic. In systemic infections, fungi spread through the body of a normal (or, more often, an immunosuppressed) host. Some fungal diseases (e.g., yeast infections) may be either superficial or systemic, affecting cer¬ tain target organs.
fungicide Vfon-jo-.sld, 'foq-go-.sIdN Any toxin used to kill or inhibit growth of fungi (see fungus) that cause economic damage to crop or orna¬ mental plants (including rusts in cereals, blight in potatoes, mildew in fruits) or endanger the health of domestic animals or humans. Most are applied as sprays or dusts; seed fungicides are applied as a protective coat¬ ing to seeds before germination. Copper compounds, especially copper sul¬ fate mixed with lime and water (Bordeaux mixture), and sulfur have long been used for this purpose, but now synthetic organic compounds are com¬ monly used. Many antifungal substances occur naturally in plant tissues.
fungus Any of about 200,000 species of organisms belonging to the kingdom Fungi, or Mycota, including yeasts, rusts, smuts, molds, mush¬ rooms, and mildews. Though formerly classified as plants, they lack chlo¬
rophyll and the organized plant structures of stems, roots, and leaves.
Fungi contribute to the disintegration of organic matter resulting in the release of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus from dead plants and animals into the soil or the atmo¬ sphere. Fungi can be found in the water, soil, air, plants, and animals of all regions of the world that have suf¬ ficient moisture to enable them to grow. Essential to many food and industrial processes, fungi are also used in the production of enzymes, organic acids, vitamins, and antibiotics. They also can destroy crops, cause such diseases as athlete's foot and ringworm, and ruin clothing and food with mildew and rot. The thallus, or body, of a typical fungus consists of a mycelium through which cyto¬ plasm flows. The mycelium generally reproduces by forming spores, either directly or in special fruiting bodies that are generally the visible part of the fungus. The soil provides an ideal habitat for many species. Lacking chlorophyll, fungi are unable to carry out photosynthesis and must obtain their carbohydrates by secreting enzymes onto the surface on which they are growing to digest the food, which they absorb through the mycelium. Saprophytic fungi live off dead organisms and are partly responsible for the decomposition of organic matter. Parasitic fungi invade living organ¬ isms, often causing disease and death (see parasitism). Fungi establish symbiotic relationships with algae (forming lichens), plants (forming myc- orrhizae; see mycorrhiza), and certain insects.
Funk, l(saac) K(auffman) (b. Sept. 10, 1839, Clifton, Ohio, U.S.—d. April 4, 1912) U.S. publisher. He was ordained a Lutheran min¬ ister in 1861 but resigned the pulpit in 1872 to travel in Europe and the Middle East. In 1877, with Adam Willis Wagnalls (1843-1924), he founded I.K. Funk & Co., later Funk & Wagnalls Co. (1891). The firm became best known for its Standard Dictionary of the English Language (1893), whose successors remained in print through the next century.
fur seal Any of nine species of eared seals valued for their fur, espe¬ cially the chestnut-coloured underfur. Fur seals live in groups and feed on fish and other animals. They were driven nearly to extinction by fur hunt¬ ers, and most species are now protected by law. The northern fur seal (<Callorhinus ursinus) is a migratory inhabitant of northern seas. The male is deep brown, has a grayish mane, grows to about 10 ft (3 m) long, and weighs about 650 lb (300 kg). The dark gray female is much smaller. The eight species of southern fur seals (genus Arctocephalus ) occur in the Southern Hemisphere and on Guadalupe Island, Mex. They are brown or black and average 4-6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) long.