Scientists Say
A weekly word defined, in a sentence and in context. Click here to find the alphabetized list.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Wavelength
When something travels as a wave — such as light — scientists can measure it by its wavelength, the distances between the peaks.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Watt
Say Watt? This is a unit used to measure the flow of energy being used.
- Math
Scientists Say: Y-axis
The bars on a graph tell you nothing unless you know what they mean. The lines on the sides can let you know.
- Life
Scientists Say: Yeast
For some people, yeast bring to mind slimy infections. But these little fungal beasts are used to make bread rise, too.
- Math
Scientists Say: X-axis
The bars on a graph tell you nothing unless you know what they mean. The lines on the sides can let you know.
-
-
Scientists Say: Replication
A scientist can run an experiment and get a result. But that result won’t be truly trustworthy until other scientists rerun the tests and replicate the findings.
- Physics
Scientists Say: Potential energy
This is the energy an object has because of its position or condition.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists Say: Zika
Zika virus has burst into the news because it is linked with microcephaly — a condition where babies are born with small heads.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Precipitation
Chemicals can dissolve into a solution, but when they come out, they precipitate.
- Brain
Scientists Say: Amusia
When you can’t carry a tune, you might have amusia, a brain disorder where people can’t tell one note from another.
- Chemistry
Scientists Say: Solution
In math, this is just the answer to your problem. In chemistry, this word means something else entirely.
