PDA

View Full Version : Ahhhh!


Mk
Aug30-04, 05:51 AM
Main Entry: at·om
Pronunciation: 'a-t&m
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin atomus, from Greek atomos, from atomos indivisible, from a- + temnein to cut
1 : one of the minute indivisible particles of which according to ancient materialism the universe is composed
2 : a tiny particle : BIT
3 : the smallest particle of an element that can exist either alone or in combination
4 : the atom considered as a source of vast potential energy

My high school Biology textbook and the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary has incorrect definitions of atoms :surprise: What is that? #3 is probably the closest definition but still incorrect. Atoms can be broken down into smaller particles, and atoms aren't particles.

HallsofIvy
Aug30-04, 07:48 AM
Your biology text and dictionary are not physics textbooks! One can, for example, accuse a person of having "not one atom of decency!" Clearly "atom" is not being used in the physics sense there. It is being used in meaning #2. As clearly stated, meaning #1 refers to an archaic view of the universe while #4 would be in the sense of "atomic bomb". It's not clear to me why you say that #3 is "still incorrect". Yes, atoms can be broken down further, but then you don't have an "element" and that is what #3 is talking about.