Re: The "typical" high school physics teacher

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@SFU.CA>]

> Sometimes we physics types get awful posessive of the language. I have a
> black box with my train set that is clearly labeled "transformer" (stamped
> into the steel). It has a dc output.

So what? I've seen other toys labeled "Transformer". They have no
electrical inputs or outputs at all.

One of the great strengths of science is its parsimonious use of
language. Once properly defined, a scientific term has precise
meaning. In science this usually means that communication of
ideas is facilitated. While ambiguity and redundancy undeniably
make English literature more interesting, they do not seem to
have redeeming value in the scientific literature. Michael's
anecdote is a good example. Science is capable of describing
phenomena of great complexity (and, I will maintain, beauty)
using elegant language. In science, elegance entails simplicity
and it excludes ambiguity and redundancy.

Let's continue our possessive attitude regarding language when
it is appropriate to do so. Science class is certainly one place
where this is necessary.

Leigh