ABSTRACT
First published in 1989, this dictionary of the whole field of the physical sciences is an invaluable guide through the changing terminology and practices of scientific research. Arranged alphabetically, it traces how the meaning of scientific terms have changed over time. It covers a wide range of topics including voyages, observations, magnetism and pendulums, and central subjects such as atom, valency and energy. There are also entries on more abstract terms such as hypothesis, theory, induction, deduction, falsification and paradigm, emphasizing that while science is more than ‘organized common sense’ it is not completely different from other activities. Science’s lack of innocence is also recognized in headings like pollution and weapons.
This book will be a useful resource to students interested in the history of science.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
entry |2 pages
Absorption
entry |2 pages
Acceleration
entry |1 pages
Accommodation
entry |1 pages
Accuracy
entry |1 pages
Acid
entry |1 pages
Action
entry |1 pages
Administration
entry |1 pages
Affinity
entry |2 pages
Aliphatic
entry |1 pages
Analysis
entry |2 pages
Apparatus
entry |1 pages
Aromatic
entry |1 pages
Astrology
entry |2 pages
Astronomy
entry |2 pages
An atom
entry |1 pages
Authority
entry |1 pages
An axiom
entry |1 pages
Black
entry |1 pages
Caloric
entry |1 pages
Catalyst
entry |1 pages
Cause
entry |1 pages
Scientists
entry |2 pages
Certainty
entry |1 pages
Chance
entry |2 pages
Chemistry
entry |1 pages
Classification
entry |1 pages
Colour
entry |1 pages
Complementary
entry |2 pages
Conservation
entry |1 pages
Contingency
entry |1 pages
Induction
entry |1 pages
Coordinates
entry |1 pages
Corpuscle
entry |1 pages
Crystal
entry |1 pages
Deduction
entry |2 pages
Demonstration
entry |1 pages
Design
entry |2 pages
Determinism
entry |2 pages
Discovery
entry |1 pages
Distillation
entry |1 pages
Dogma
entry |1 pages
Dynamics
entry |1 pages
Education
entry |1 pages
Efficiency
entry |4 pages
Electricity
entry |2 pages
Element
entry |1 pages
An ellipse
entry |2 pages
Energy
entry |2 pages
Entropy
entry |1 pages
An equation
entry |1 pages
Equilibrium
entry |1 pages
Error
entry |1 pages
Ether
entry |1 pages
Evolution
entry |1 pages
Experiment
entry |1 pages
Explanation
entry |1 pages
Fact
entry |1 pages
Scepticism
entry |1 pages
Falsification
entry |1 pages
Fathers
entry |1 pages
A field
entry |1 pages
Force
entry |1 pages
A formula
entry |1 pages
Fraud
entry |1 pages
A gas
entry |1 pages
Geology
entry |1 pages
Geometry
entry |1 pages
God
entry |1 pages
Government
entry |1 pages
Gravity
entry |1 pages
Hardness
entry |1 pages
Harmony
entry |2 pages
Heat
entry |1 pages
History
entry |1 pages
Homology
entry |2 pages
Hypothesis
entry |1 pages
Illustration
entry |1 pages
Apparatus
entry |1 pages
Crystals
entry |1 pages
Induction
entry |1 pages
Inertia
entry |1 pages
Institutions
entry |1 pages
An instrument
entry |1 pages
Isomers
entry |1 pages
Isomorphism
entry |1 pages
Isotopes
entry |2 pages
The journal
entry |1 pages
Kinematics
entry |1 pages
Language
entry |1 pages
Law
entry |1 pages
A library
entry |1 pages
Light
entry |1 pages
The liquid
entry |1 pages
Literature
entry |1 pages
Abstracts
entry |1 pages
Magic
entry |1 pages
Magnetism
entry |1 pages
Manipulation
entry |2 pages
Mass
entry |1 pages
Mathematics
entry |1 pages
Matter
entry |4 pages
Measurement
entry |1 pages
Molecule
entry |1 pages
Naming
entry |2 pages
Necessity
entry |1 pages
Number
entry |2 pages
Observation
entry |1 pages
Order
entry |1 pages
Radioactivity
entry |1 pages
Organic
entry |1 pages
Oxygen
entry |1 pages
Paper
entry |1 pages
Paradigm
entry |1 pages
Research
entry |1 pages
Parallax
entry |2 pages
A particle
entry |1 pages
A phase
entry |1 pages
Philosophy
entry |2 pages
Phlogiston
entry |1 pages
A planet
entry |1 pages
Pollution
entry |1 pages
Popular science
entry |1 pages
Power
entry |1 pages
Prediction
entry |1 pages
Pressure
entry |1 pages
Principles
entry |1 pages
Priority
entry |1 pages
Probability
entry |2 pages
A profession
entry |1 pages
Proof
entry |1 pages
Property
entry |2 pages
Purity
entry |1 pages
Radical
entry |2 pages
Radioactivity
entry |1 pages
Rays
entry |1 pages
Reaction
entry |1 pages
Reduction
entry |1 pages
Reflection
entry |1 pages
Refraction
entry |1 pages
Relativity
entry |1 pages
Religion
entry |1 pages
Research
entry |1 pages
Resonance
entry |1 pages
A retort
entry |1 pages
Reversibility
entry |1 pages
Scepticism
entry |1 pages
A school
entry |2 pages
Science
entry |1 pages
Sciences
entry |1 pages
Scientism
entry |1 pages
A scientist's
entry |1 pages
Academies
entry |2 pages
Simplicity
entry |1 pages
Spin
entry |1 pages
Spirit
entry |1 pages
Standards
entry |1 pages
Scientists
entry |1 pages
State
entry |2 pages
Statistics
entry |1 pages
Status
entry |1 pages
Structure
entry |1 pages
Symmetry
entry |1 pages
Synthesis
entry |1 pages
Technology
entry |1 pages
A telegraph
entry |1 pages
Telescopes
entry |1 pages
A test-tube
entry |1 pages
Theory
entry |2 pages
Thermodynamics
entry |1 pages
Time
entry |1 pages
Toys
entry |1 pages
Tradition
entry |1 pages
Transition
entry |1 pages
Truth
entry |1 pages
Type
entry |1 pages
Uniformity
entry |2 pages
Units
entry |1 pages
Utility
entry |1 pages
A vacuum
entry |1 pages
Valency
entry |1 pages
Values
entry |1 pages
A vector
entry |1 pages
Viscosity
entry |1 pages
Voyages
entry |1 pages
Wave
entry |3 pages
Light
entry |1 pages
Weight
entry |1 pages
Women
entry |1 pages
Work
entry |1 pages
X-rays
