"One of the things the public has to understand, an individual wielding a knife at you at about 20 feet can be on top of you in a split second, " he said.

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This machine is a collision sensor, which knew in a split second to activate your automobile air bag and cushion the impact of your collision with the inside of the car.

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That makes it possible not just to skip to any point of a taped show in a split-second, but also to rewind live television: because hard disks are so fast, they can tape and play back at the same time.

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The difference between the gold medal and no metal at all in the Olympic games is often a matter of a split second.

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As the government set about creating a brave new world of motorways, Kinneir and Calvert were given the job of making signs that could be clearly read in a split second.

BBC: The road sign as design classic

He's more interested in the bits and pieces of music, even when they span only a split second.

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Ref Jones - on the say-so of his touch judge - ruled that Chris O'Young had put his foot out of play a split-second before Thom Evans squeezed in.

BBC: Glasgow 11-11 Munster

Jeter was a split second slow out of the blocks and nearly caught Fraser-Pryce in the final meters, but the Jamaican leaned across the finish for the victory.

WSJ: Menu

It had not piloted the A2 section - the second year of study - before the A-level was split into two parts in 2000.

BBC: Q & A: Last year's fiasco