4 Scientific Words You're Probably Using Wrong | What the Stuff?! скачать в хорошем качестве

4 Scientific Words You're Probably Using Wrong | What the Stuff?!

We all like to toss around words borrowed from science to class up our own speech - but chances are you're taking some very unscientific liberties with its usage. Here are 4 scientific terms you might be using wrong. Special thanks to the 5 Seasons Brewery in Atlanta, Georgia! http://www.5seasonsbrewing.com Music: "Disco High" by UltraCat Image Attribution: A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen, 2009) [Blackboard math proof] Article: http://www.howstuffworks.com/dictiona... What the Stuff?! episodes are available every Monday and Friday at Noon ET. Subscribe http://bit.ly/1AWgeM7 Twitter   / howstuffworks   Facebook   / howstuffworks   Google+ https://plus.google.com/+howstuffworks Website http://www.howstuffworks.com Watch More    / howstuffworks   Transcript: You know how most people’s grandparents sound when they try to use slang from the younger generation? That’s how you sound to scientists when you misuse these four words. “Proof.” Can you prove that stars are made of hydrogen and not really, really hot honey butter? Well, no, but there’s overwhelming evidence for the whole hydrogen fusing into helium thing. The problem with using the term “proof” this way is that “proof” doesn’t exist in science. Proofs are final, and for that reason scientists like the evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa argue that they only exist in math and logic. Science deals in evidence; new evidence from the Honey Butter Solar Probe could always change our minds. “Quantum.” Pop quiz: What does the word ‘quantum’ actually mean? And don’t bother using your ‘quantum consciousness’ to intuit the answer. Quantum mechanics is one of the greatest and weirdest discoveries of modern science, but the term “quantum” has been exploited by self-help authors trying to sell mysticism packaged in scientific-sounding terms. Even outside the self-help section, the word gets manhandled: A “quantum leap” is something like a “huge improvement,” right? But in physics, quanta aren’t huge: a quantum is the smallest indivisible unit of energy – like photons, the tiny particles or waves that make up light. “Exponential.” If you could manage to increase your salary by $17,000 every two weeks that would be some exponential growth, right? It would be great, but, no, not exponential. People commonly equate the word “exponential,” with “rapid” or “really big.” It’s true that in some cases, exponential growth can get really big, really fast, but ultimately the size of the growth is irrelevant. Exponential growth is simply when the whole of a number increases in proportion to it. So if you have $100 in a savings account that gives you 1% interest one year, the next year you’ll earn another 1% interest, but it will be a higher amount. Why? Because on you are earning interest on $101 dollars this year - your original amount _plus_the extra 1% interest you earned last year. That’s exponential growth. “Theory.” If you want to see a scientist pull some hair out, tell them that evolution or gravity is “just a theory.” In everyday use, theory is a belief or idea - but your buddy who has a theory that chili cheese is the greatest flavor combination humans have ever come up with is way off. In science, a theory is an explanation for why something happens. It’s sort of what happens when a hypothesis, which is testable guess at an explanation, graduates to the next level. This explanation has withstood repeated experimentation and has been found to hold water – it becomes a theory. Your buddy’s probably right about the chili cheese thing, but that’s an opinion, not a theory. Which misused word drives you up the wall? Let us know in the comments and subscribe! And to learn about other science terms we’re constantly mangling, check out 10 Scientific Words You're Probably Using Wrong at HowStuffWorks!