Scientists Say
A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context. Click here to find the alphabetized list.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Inertia
Inertia is the tendency of objects to resist changes in their motion.
- Materials Science
Scientists Say: Silicone
Silicone is a generic term for a whole slew of humanmade polymers with many different forms and applications.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Primate
Primates are mammals that tend to have big brains, forward-facing vision, fingernails and flexible hands and feet.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy allows the brain to perceive the two 2-D images seen by the eyes as a 3-D scene.
- Math
Scientists Say: Variable
A variable is something that can be changed — such as a value in math, or a factor in an experiment.
- Earth
Scientists Say: Atmosphere
An atmosphere is an envelope of gas around a planet, dwarf planet or moon.
- Space
Scientists Say: Constellation
Constellations are clusters of related things, especially the stars that form patterns in the night sky — some of which date back to ancient times.
- Animals
Scientists Say: Migration
Migration involves the movement of animals or people from one place to another.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Inorganic
Inorganic molecules include salts, minerals and other compounds that lack organics’ carbon-hydrogen bonds.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Doppler effect
The Doppler effect is a perceived change in the frequency of light or sound waves due to the wave source moving relative to an observer.
- Math
Scientists Say: Equation
An equation states that two groups of numbers or variables are equal to each other.
- Tech
Scientists Say: Machine learning
Machine learning allows computers to learn new skills without programmers having to write out step-by-step instructions.
