I’m currently reading a book about chemistry. Here is a sentence that I faced and didn’t understand: This procedure has been described in other work from our laboratory I don’t get what it means by “describe in other work”! The only thing came to my mind was that it was probably “in other words” and … Read more
I’m writing an experimental process description and I feel like i’m overusing ‘the’. The plastic tube leading out the bottom of the Vayyar equipment (again the tube on the left) is fed through the hole of the data lid and into the sample container The syringe is retracted slightly and placed into the holder, the … Read more
I want a word that is used to mean an object involved in a collision, for example, say two tennis balls collide – ball 1 and ball 2 – what would be a word that could describe either ball, only in the context of a collision. Similarly to how each particle involved in a reaction … Read more
But why would a strong, inheritable trait that cuts fitness by half not be selected against? Answer Well, I suppose if you break it down, the question is regarding: A trait that is possible to be inherited, is even favorable against other traits, but not a strictly dominant trait (otherwise “dominant trait” would be used … Read more
I am writing a scientific paper and have a following dillema between two sentences: Therefore, it is reasonable to analyze the effect of the mutual coupling in the proposed application. vs. Therefore, it is reasonable to analyze the effect the mutual coupling has in the proposed application. The first option is clearly more formal and … Read more
We commonly say “electricity consumption” for both : the electric energy actually consumed by appliances the electric energy drawn from the grid by a house, measured by a meter (what appears on your utility bill) I would like to find a more specific word for the latter, in the specific context of “measuring electric energy … Read more
I am aware that typically we use “linear” growth or “exponential” growth to describe certain trending, which seems very standard and scientific. But on the other hand, what is a proper and scientific way to describe a trending that is “over” linear (faster than linear), but apparently not yet exponential? Can I simply say “over … Read more
I want to express my knowledge about the presence of absence of something. My knowledge is divided into three different cases: I know that the thing doesn’t exist. I don’t know whether the thing exists. I know that the thing exists. Sadly, neither of those is the negation of another one. However, I can define … Read more
In a mathematical paper about random-walks. Which is more correct: “The number of steps in the random-walk is infinite” or “The number of steps in the random-walk is infinity”? Answer The correct usage is “The number of steps is infinite” You are qualifying the “number of steps”, here infinite is an adjective. You could say … Read more
“Offworld” meaning “not on the main, current planet” is a term in some sci-fi works, and several works have been named using it, like “Offworld Trading Company” (a video game). The word definitely dates to older sci-fi, though, and I’m wondering where/when it originated. I couldn’t find information in any dictionaries, although several listed the … Read more
