Performance of microkernel vs monolithic kernel. As is always the answer (or at least the preface) to performance-related questions: know your problem domain, run comparative benchmarks, and remember what premature optimization is.
A summary of the difference between contactors, motor starters, relays and circuit breakers. Switches, circuit breakers, and contactors are used to control what parts of an electrical system are energized or de-energized. Fuses are used to protect the electrical system when something goes wrong, and can isolate the faulted parts from the normal parts.
Circuit Breakers. A circuit breaker is a switch that automatically interrupts electrical flow in a circuit in case of an overload or short. Homes built or rewired since the mid-1960s use circuit breakers to monitor the electricity coming into the home.