Science Words

This article at Symmetry is the third in their series of lists of words that mean different things when scientists say them than when the rest of us say them.

It's interesting how some of the science-based meanings resemble the regular meanings, just tweaked somewhat. For example, both the ordinary and scientific use of the word "uncertainty" involve things that we don't know. But while the ordinary use of the word describes a condition, such as "I have uncertainty about the outcome," the science-based meaning more often refers to the specific amount of uncertainty in a measurement. "The results of this test are X," someone might say. "What's the level of uncertainty?" "Plus or minus five percent."

Smaller uncertainty amounts are better when scientists are trying to find things out because it means they consider the results more reliable. Larger uncertainty amounts are less useful, because the correct data could be so different from the measured result that subsequent experiments can't use it as input.

Another word, "tunneling," actually doesn't mean what you or I would ordinarily mean when we say it. We would talk about the process of digging a tunnel through something, like a mountain. But "tunneling" to a physicist describes the way a particle, through the uncertainty of quantum processes, appears to have gone through a solid object without leaving any trail of having done so.

Some words, not listed, will be the same, although the scientists may be using them in a much stronger sense than you or I would. If I say, "oops," for example, I mean I have made a mistake, probably a relatively minor one. You would turn to me and ask, "What?"

But if a physicist says, "oops," what he or she means is, "It's already too late to start running." You would turn to me and ask, "W-" before every molecule in your body exploded at the speed of light.

Important safety tip, when you think about it.