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I'm looking for a list of commonly misspelled science and math words. What do you see often?
Most commonly misspelled science and math words
- Thread starter Greg Bernhardt
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SUMMARY
This discussion centers on commonly misspelled science and math words, highlighting specific examples such as "Schwarzschild," "Feynman," and "Lorentz." Participants noted variations in spelling based on regional differences, such as "math" versus "maths" and "center" versus "centre." The conversation also touched on the complexities of transliterating names like "Chebyshev" and the challenges of spelling in scientific contexts, particularly in taxonomy. Overall, the thread serves as a resource for identifying and understanding frequent spelling errors in scientific terminology.
PREREQUISITES- Familiarity with scientific terminology and names, such as "Schwarzschild" and "Feynman."
- Understanding of regional spelling variations in English, including UK and US differences.
- Knowledge of transliteration principles, particularly for names from different languages.
- Basic grasp of taxonomy and its implications for spelling in biological sciences.
- Research the correct spelling and usage of "Schwarzschild" and its common misspellings.
- Explore the differences in scientific terminology between American and British English.
- Learn about the transliteration of scientific names, focusing on "Chebyshev" and its variations.
- Investigate the challenges of spelling in taxonomy, particularly in relation to extinct species.
Students, educators, and professionals in the fields of science and mathematics, particularly those involved in writing, publishing, or teaching scientific content.
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Do you mean: except names?
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oh names would be great too!fresh_42 said:
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Lorentz, of the Lorentz transforms, is often confused with Lorenz, of the electromagnetic Lorenz gauge condition.
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We recently had Plank.
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Vanadium 50
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Hadron.
Which is unfortunate.
Which is unfortunate.
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Borek
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Actually you could try to write a script to filter out all "spellcheckable" words out of the PF posts.
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einstein is fairly common. Schwarzchild, Schwarschild and Schwarzschild seem to be common mis-spellings of Schwarzschild. The number of ns at the end of Feynman's name also seems to be a topic of debate.
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DrGreg
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There are some words for which what is "right" or "wrong" depends on what country you are in. For example:
But that probably wasn't what you were looking for.
U.S. | UK | notes |
|---|---|---|
math | maths | |
center | centre | |
fiber | fibre | |
meter | metre | unit of distance (but not measuring device, always "meter") |
liter | litre | |
esophagus | oesophagus | |
color | colour | |
neighborhood | neighbourhood | |
analog | analogue | |
mold | mould |
But that probably wasn't what you were looking for.
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DaveC426913
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Bandersnatch
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Astrology and cosmetology.
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russ_watters
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I had an ex who would not stop saying that. Doomed relationship.Bandersnatch said:
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fluidistic
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Thomson, who became Lord Kelvin is often written as Thompson.
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Bystander
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"Coolly" equals "laborer, geological formation, adverb...?"DaveC426913 said:
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That actually happened to Lise Meitner:Bandersnatch said:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/collection-of-science-jokes-p2.847743/page-8#post-5717287
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Then there's my favorite: pie. (I tend to ask them if they want apple or blueberry to calculate the area of the circle.)
-Dan
-Dan
- #19
BillTre
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Chicxulub, the impactor and loation of impact of the "dinosaur killer" meteorite.
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Tangenital velocity.
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pinball1970
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I did that once. I was hoping the community had forgot.fresh_42 said:
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hmmm27
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Van der Graaff (probably)
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There is also the dreaded pressure guage.
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TeethWhitener
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Math100
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Angle/angel.
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Hornbein
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I feel certain the the most misspelled word is "loser" but their spell checker didn't catch it.DaveC426913 said:
- #27
Hornbein
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It would be pretty funny to see the world map with LOSER emblazoned on most of the countries.Hornbein said:
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mjc123
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It's actually Van de Graaff. But "Van der Graaf Generator" are an "English progressive rock band". Popular in Italy during the 1970s, apparently.hmmm27 said:
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Vanadium 50
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And he was American, not Dutch. From Alabama.mjc123 said:
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George Jones
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Like, for example, on that staid news platform, the BBC:Vanadium 50 said:
https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/568972/BBC-News-awkward-sexually-explicit-Hadron-Collider
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