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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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Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around commonly misspelled science and math words, including proper names and terms from various fields. Participants share examples and explore the nuances of spelling variations across different regions and contexts.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Debate/contested
- Technical explanation
Main Points Raised
- Some participants mention specific names like Lorentz and Lorenz, noting common confusion between them.
- Examples of misspellings include Plank, Hadron, and Feynman, with discussions on the correct spelling of Schwarzschild.
- There is a mention of regional differences in spelling, such as "math" vs. "maths" and "center" vs. "centre."
- Participants highlight the challenges of spelling names like Thomson (often written as Thompson) and Kirchhoff, with some expressing personal struggles with these spellings.
- One participant suggests that auto-correct features often mishandle scientific terms, leading to further misspellings.
- Chebyshev is discussed as having multiple transliterations, leading to confusion in the literature.
- Other terms like "ect." and "guage" are noted as frequent sources of error, with some participants sharing humorous anecdotes about these misspellings.
- Diarrhea is mentioned as a commonly misspelled word, with one participant admitting difficulty in spelling it correctly.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants generally agree on the existence of common misspellings but express differing opinions on specific examples and the significance of regional spelling variations. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the most commonly misspelled terms.
Contextual Notes
Some misspellings are influenced by regional language differences, and there are unresolved debates about the correct spelling of certain names and terms. The discussion includes personal anecdotes that highlight the variability in spelling among participants.
- #2
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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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- #9
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:
- #14
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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