Was the thought of identifying latitude and longitude on a map in geography class one of your high-key stressors? Well, you’re not the only anxiety-ridden test taker out there! The concept of measuring Earth by coordinates isn’t an overwhelmingly hard concept to grasp, but identifying the difference between these two words can be a little tough. Since they are both units of measurement that help …
The word chemical elicits strong reactions from many people. You’ve probably seen viral headlines over the past few years about “yoga mat chemicals” in your Subway sandwich bread or “toxic chemicals” in your mascara. Certainly, you’ve seen people online discussing the “dangerous chemicals” they believe are contained in vaccines. When people see the word chemical, it tends to inspire fear, but should it? What is a chemical? A chemical …
Do you have your eyes on the news? Here are the words that made headlines and drove searches December 14–21, 2018 on Dictionary.com! Prognosticator The word prognosticator tends to get its biggest use in February, when a groundhog is hauled out to forecast the arrival of spring. But the noun, which means “one who forecasts or predicts (something future) from present indications or signs,” jumped onto …
Perhaps you’ve heard of vocal fry, a quality of speech often associated with the likes of Kim Kardashian or Katy Perry. American media stories detailing vocal fry sometimes warn us that it’s damaging to our vocal cords, and that women who use vocal fry are jeopardizing their job prospects. As wonderful as it is that the mass media is paying attention to phonetics, much of …
Science is real. Science is cool. Science uses a lot of terms that we all think we know. But, do we really know what we are talking about? In the spirit of scientific community and understanding, let’s clear up one big scientific misconception that we all get wrong … Pop quiz: Is it momentum or inertia that keeps you moving? Here’s a hint: In science, inertia is …
What is net neutrality? You may have heard the term net neutrality in the news. Net neutrality is the idea that the relationship between you and content on the internet shouldn’t be altered by internet service providers—that ISPs should provide nondiscriminatory access to internet content, without manipulating the transfer of data, and treat all web traffic equally. The government has protected this idea until recently, when the FCC …
Sentient. We define this word as “having the power of perception by the senses; conscious.” Fans of the Terminator movie series will know this word and its implications (Skynet, cough cough). And, we can’t forget the Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Which desktop AI system is better at understanding language? But, in this article, we’re focusing on the sentient Google Home and Assistant and how …
Test out your scientific knowledge here! (And, if you need a little brush-up on some science terms, check out our Science Terms For Dummies slideshow.) If the quiz doesn’t display, please try opening in the Chrome browser.
WARNING: Your brain is about to experience conflict and interference, while executing a suspiciously mundane task. Do not scoff. Different-colored words will slow down your mental processing, and there’s almost nothing you can do about it—except read the rest of this article to learn more. You are at the mercy of . . . the Stroop effect! Get ready: The following is a group of words, written …
Negative reinforcement vs. positive reinforcement Most people think that positive reinforcement means to lavish praise or encouragement, and that is a good part of its essence, but not all of it. What is negative reinforcement, then? Is that about withholding praise? Scolding? Admonishing? Positive reinforcement is actually something we’re all pretty familiar with. When you were a kid, did you get a weekly allowance for …
In 2013, the Sunday Times outed J.K. Rowling as the author of the detective novel The Cuckoo’s Calling, published under her nom de plume Robert Galbraith. While devotees of Rowling quickly procured and binge-read her latest work, linguists and language lovers worldwide celebrated the computational analysis of the two scholars who helped reveal the true author of the book in question. How did experts figure …