alloy: A blend of a metal and one or more elements (metallic or non-metallic) in which the individual elements are thoroughly mixed at a microscopic level.
atom: The basic unit of a chemical element. Atoms are made up of a dense nucleus that contains positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons. The nucleus is orbited by a cloud of negatively charged electrons.
atomic number: The number of protons in an atomic nucleus, which determines the type of atom and how it behaves.
banknote: A term for the foldable paper currency (some nations may now use plastic). Banknotes — sometimes called bills, as in a “20-dollar bill” — come in different denominations, and may vary by color or size. U.S. banknotes are often called “greenbacks” due to their predominantly green color.
binary: Something having two integral parts. (in mathematics and computer science) A number system where values are represented using two symbols 1 (on) or 0 (off).
bit: (in computer science) The term is short for binary digit. It has a value of either 0 or 1.
bond: (in chemistry) A semi-permanent attachment between atoms — or groups of atoms — in a molecule. It’s formed by an attractive force between the participating atoms. Once bonded, the atoms will work as a unit. To separate the component atoms, energy must be supplied to the molecule as heat or some other type of radiation.
boron: The chemical element having the atomic number 5. Its scientific symbol is B.
catalyst: (v. catalyze) A substance that helps a chemical reaction to proceed faster. Examples include enzymes and elements such as platinum and iridium.
chemical reaction: A process that involves the rearrangement of the molecules or structure of a substance, as opposed to a change in physical form (as from a solid to a gas).
consultant: Someone who performs work as an outside expert, usually for a company or industry. “Independent” consultants often work alone, as individuals who sign a contract to share their expert advice or analytical skills for a short time with a company or other organization.
core: Something — usually round-shaped — in the center of an object.
corrode: (n. corrosion) A chemical process that weakens or destroys normally robust materials, such as metals or rock.
cosmos: (adj. cosmic) A term that refers to the universe and everything within it.
crude oil: Petroleum in the form as it comes out of the ground.
digital: (in computer science and engineering) An adjective indicating that something has been developed numerically on a computer or on some other electronic device, based on a binary system (where all numbers are displayed using a series of only zeros and ones).
electric current: A flow of electric charge — electricity — usually from the movement of negatively charged particles, called electrons.
electricity: A flow of charge, usually from the movement of negatively charged particles, called electrons.
electromagnetic radiation: Energy that travels as a wave, including forms of light. Electromagnetic radiation is typically classified by its wavelength. The spectrum of electromagnetic radiation ranges from radio waves to gamma rays. It also includes microwaves and visible light.
electron: A negatively charged particle, usually found orbiting the outer regions of an atom; also, the carrier of electricity within solids.
electronics: Devices that are powered by electricity but whose properties are controlled by the semiconductors or other circuitry that channel or gate the movement of electric charges.
element: A building block of some larger structure. (in chemistry) Each of more than one hundred substances for which the smallest unit of each is a single atom. Examples include hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, lithium and uranium.
engineer: A person who uses science and math to solve problems. As a verb, to engineer means to design a device, material or process that will solve some problem or unmet need.
europium: A rare chemical element that appears as a silver metal when it is pure. It is found in some minerals, and can be used to trace the source of mineral grains carried long distances by water or wind.
f-electrons: These are the electrons (up to 14) that may live in the shell of larger atoms. There are seven orbitals in this “f” shell. Each of those orbitals is able to host up to two electrons.
fiber: Something whose shape resembles a thread or filament.
fiction: (adj. fictional) An idea or a story that is made-up, not a depiction of real events.
field: (in physics) A region in space where certain physical effects operate, such as magnetism (created by a magnetic field), gravity (by a gravitational field), mass (by a Higgs field) or electricity (by an electrical field).
fluoresce: (adj. fluorescent) The process of absorbing light of one wavelength (color) and reemitting as a different wavelength. That reemitted light is known as fluorescence.
force: Some outside influence that can change the motion of a body, hold bodies close to one another, or produce motion or stress in a stationary body.
fracture: (noun) A break. (verb) To break something and induce cracks or a splitting apart of something.
generator: A device used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Goldilocks zone: A term that scientists may use to describe some narrow range within a continuum that is “just right” for something to happen.
green: (in chemistry and environmental science) An adjective to describe products and processes that will pose little or no harm to living things or the environment.
host: (v.) The act of providing a home or environment for something. A website, for instance, could host photos, news or other types of information.
intergalactic: An adjective that describes some position between galaxies.
internet: An electronic communications network. It allows computers anywhere in the world to link into other networks to find information, download files and share data (including pictures).
iron: A metallic element that is common within minerals in Earth’s crust and in its hot core. This metal also is found in cosmic dust and in many meteorites.
lanthanides: A series of 15 metals, all of them radioactive —and therefore toxic. They tend to be shown below the top seven rows on a conventional periodic table of the elements. They have atomic numbers running from 57 (lanthanum) to 71 (lutetium). Actinides were first isolated from gadolinite, a mineral found in Ytterby, Sweden, in 1787. That city’s name gave rise to the name ytterbium (atomic number 70), for one of the elements eventually isolated from gadolinite. Like actinides, the lanthanide elements are known as rare-earth metals.
laser: A device that generates an intense beam of coherent light of a single color. Lasers are used in drilling and cutting, alignment and guidance, in data storage and in surgery.
luminescence: The glow produced by a chemical process at relatively low temperatures. Some animals are able to luminesce, based on chemical reactions inside their bodies.
magnet: A material that usually contains iron and whose atoms are arranged so they attract certain metals.
magnetic field: An area of influence created by certain materials, called magnets, or by the movement of electric charges.
magnetism: The attractive influence, or force, created by certain materials, called magnets, or by the movement of electric charges.
malleable: Something whose shape can be altered, usually by hammering or otherwise deforming with pressure. (in social science) Attitudes or behaviors that can be changed with social pressure or logic.
metal: Something that conducts electricity well, tends to be shiny (reflective) and is malleable (meaning it can be reshaped with heat and not too much force or pressure).
model: A simulation of a real-world event (usually using a computer) that has been developed to predict one or more likely outcomes. Or an individual that is meant to display how something would work in or look on others.
motor: A device that converts electricity into mechanical motion. (in biology) A term referring to movement.
MRI: Short for magnetic resonance imaging. It’s an imaging technique to visualize soft, internal organs, like the brain, muscles, heart and cancerous tumors. MRI uses strong magnetic fields to record the activity of individual atoms.
nanometer: A billionth of a meter. It’s such a small unit that researchers use it as a yardstick for measuring wavelengths of light or distances within molecules. For perspective, an average human hair is about 60,000 nanometers wide.
navigate: To find one’s way through a landscape using visual cues, sensory information (like scents), magnetic information (like an internal compass) or other techniques.
neodymium: A chemical element which appears as a soft, silvery metal when it is pure. It is found in some minerals and can be used to trace the source of mineral grains carried long distances by water or wind. Its scientific symbol is Nd.
neutron: A subatomic particle carrying no electric charge that is one of the basic pieces of matter. Neutrons belong to the family of particles known as hadrons.
nucleus: Plural is nuclei. (in biology) A dense structure present in many cells. Typically a single rounded structure encased within a membrane, the nucleus contains genetic information. (in astronomy) The rocky body of a comet, sometimes carrying a jacket of ice or frozen gases. (in physics) The central core of an atom, containing most of its mass.
optical fiber: A long strand of glass or some other fiber used to transmit light signals (such as those used to send telephone, television and other communications signals).
orbital: Adjective for something relating to orbits. (in chemistry and subatomic physics) The pattern(s) of electrons (and their density) that form(s) within an atom or molecule.
ore: A naturally formed rock or mineral that contains a metal that can be extracted for some new use.
phosphor: A synthetic chemical that glows when excited by electrons. It typically is used (often in combination with others) to coat LEDs, fluorescent lamps or cathode-ray tubes to produce a desired color of light.
physicist: A scientist who studies the nature and properties of matter and energy.
poles: (in physics and electrical engineering) The ends of a magnet.
programmable: A device or system that contains a computer, which allows the functions to change in a prescribed way, usually as determined by the user or manufacturer.
quantum: (pl. quanta) A term that refers to the smallest amount of anything, especially of energy or subatomic mass.
radar: A system for calculating the position, distance or other important characteristic of a distant object. It works by sending out periodic radio waves that bounce off of the object and then measuring how long it takes that bounced signal to return. Radar can detect moving objects, like airplanes. It also can be used to map the shape of land — even land covered by ice.
radiate: (in physics) To emit energy in the form of waves. (n. radiation)
range: The full extent or distribution of something. For instance, a plant or animal’s range is the area over which it naturally exists.
rare earths: (in Earth science) These are a group of metal elements that tend to be soft, bendable and chemically reactive.
resilient: (n. resilience) To be able to recover fairly quickly from obstacles or difficult conditions. (in materials) The ability of something to spring back or recover to its original shape after bending or otherwise contorting the material.
resistance: (in physics) Something that keeps a physical material (such as a block of wood, flow of water or air) from moving freely, usually because it provides friction to impede its motion.
satellite: A moon orbiting a planet or a vehicle or other manufactured object that orbits some celestial body in space.
sensor: A device that picks up information on physical or chemical conditions — such as temperature, barometric pressure, salinity, humidity, pH, light intensity or radiation — and stores or broadcasts that information. Scientists and engineers often rely on sensors to inform them of conditions that may change over time or that exist far from where a researcher can measure them directly.
shell: (in physics) The orbital paths that electrons take around the nucleus of an atom.
smartphone: A cell (or mobile) phone that can perform a host of functions, including search for information on the internet.
society: An integrated group of people or animals that generally cooperate and support one another for the greater good of them all.
sound wave: A wave that transmits sound. Sound waves have alternating swaths of high and low pressure.
synthetic: An adjective that describes something that did not arise naturally, but was instead created by people. Many synthetic materials have been developed to stand in for natural materials, such as synthetic rubber, synthetic diamond or a synthetic hormone. Some may even have a chemical makeup and structure identical to the original.
system: A network of parts that together work to achieve some function. For instance, the blood, vessels and heart are primary components of the human body’s circulatory system. Similarly, trains, platforms, tracks, roadway signals and overpasses are among the potential components of a nation’s railway system. System can even be applied to the processes or ideas that are part of some method or ordered set of procedures for getting a task done.
technology: The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry — or the devices, processes and systems that result from those efforts.
theoretical: An adjective for an analysis or assessment of something that based on pre-existing knowledge of how things behave. It is not based on experimental trials. Theoretical research tends to use math — usually performed by computers — to predict how or what will occur for some specified series of conditions. Experimental testing or observations of natural systems will then be needed to confirm what had been predicted.
tissue: Made of cells, it is any of the distinct types of materials that make up animals, plants or fungi. Cells within a tissue work as a unit to perform a particular function in living organisms. Different organs of the human body, for instance, often are made from many different types of tissues.
valence: (in chemistry and physics) The electrons of an atom that are involved in chemical bonding. Valence electrons usually are the outermost electrons (those orbiting farthest from the nucleus).
visible light: A type of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths that range between 380 nanometers (violet) and 740 nanometers (red). Visible light has wavelengths that are shorter than infrared light, microwaves, and radio waves but longer than ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma rays.
wave: A disturbance or variation that travels through space and matter in a regular, oscillating fashion.
wavelength: The distance between one peak and the next in a series of waves, or the distance between one trough and the next. It’s also one of the “yardsticks” used to measure radiation. Visible light — which, like all electromagnetic radiation, travels in waves — includes wavelengths between about 380 nanometers (violet) and about 740 nanometers (red). Radiation with wavelengths shorter than visible light includes gamma rays, X-rays and ultraviolet light. Longer-wavelength radiation includes infrared light, microwaves and radio waves.
wind turbine: A wind-powered device — similar to the type used to mill grain (windmills) long ago — used to generate electricity.