accelerate: To experience a change in velocity (speed).
bit: (in computer science) The term is short for binary digit. It has a value of either 0 or 1.
Brontosaurus: A dinosaur genus that lived around 150 million years ago. Its name means “thunder lizard.” As a sauropod, it had a long neck and thick, whiplike tail. It was originally named in 1879, but scientists rolled Brontosaurus into the Apatosaurus genus beginning in 1903. That essentially erased Brontosaurus as a dinosaur. In 2015, however, scientists studying groups of the fossils determined that Apatosaurus and Brontosaurus were too different, so Brontosaurus would become its own genus again.
data: Facts and/or statistics collected together for analysis but not necessarily organized in a way that gives them meaning. For digital information (the type stored by computers), those data typically are numbers stored in a binary code, portrayed as strings of zeros and ones.
digit: (in math) An individual numeral (from 0 to 9) used to represent a number or some part of a number.
electron: A negatively charged particle, usually found orbiting the outer regions of an atom; also, the carrier of electricity within solids.
Jupiter: (in astronomy) The solar system’s largest planet, it has the shortest day length (9 hours, 55 minutes). A gas giant, its low density indicates that this planet is composed mostly of the light elements hydrogen and helium. This planet also releases more heat than it receives from the sun as gravity compresses its mass (and slowly shrinks the planet).
mass: A number that shows how much an object resists speeding up and slowing down — basically a measure of how much matter that object is made from.
metrology: The scientific field devoted to understanding how best to measure things. People who work in this field are known as metrologists.
physical: (adj.) A term for things that exist in the real world, as opposed to in memories or the imagination. It can also refer to properties of materials that are due to their size and non-chemical interactions (such as when one block slams with force into another). (in biology and medicine) The term can refer to the body, as in a physical exam or physical activity.
podcast: A digital audio or video series that can be downloaded from the Internet to your computer or smartphone. Some podcasts also are shows that are broadcast on radio, television or other media.
quantum: (pl. quanta) A term that refers to the smallest amount of anything, especially of energy or subatomic mass.
quecto: A prefix in the metric system for a trillion billion billionth of something — or 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001. This unit was established for the first time on Nov. 18, 2023 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
quetta: A prefix in the metric system for a trillion billion billion — or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This unit was established for the first time on Nov. 18, 2023 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
range: The full extent or distribution of something. For instance, a plant or animal’s range is the area over which it naturally exists. (in math or for measurements) The extent to which values can vary (such as the highest to lowest temperatures). Also, the distance within which something can be reached or perceived.
ronna: A prefix in the metric system for a billion billion billions of something — or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This unit was established for the first time on Nov. 18, 2023 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
ronto: A prefix in the metric system for a billion billion billionth — or 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001. This unit was established for the first time on Nov. 18, 2023 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
system: A network of parts that together work to achieve some function. For instance, the blood, vessels and heart are primary components of the human body’s circulatory system. Similarly, trains, platforms, tracks, roadway signals and overpasses are among the potential components of a nation’s railway system. System can even be applied to the processes or ideas that are part of some method or ordered set of procedures for getting a task done.
traction: The force created as something pulls across a surface or the glue-like effect of friction created as something moves along a surface. Good traction can keep a tire or boot from slipping on a wet or icy road. (in conversations) Traction can also be used to describe an idea or attitude that is becoming more acceptable.
unit: (in measurements) A unit of measurement is a standard way of expressing a physical quantity. Units of measure provide context for what numerical values represent and so convey the magnitude of physical properties. Examples include inches, kilograms, ohms, gauss, decibels, kelvins and nanoseconds.
yocto: A prefix in the metric system for a million billion billionths of something — or 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,001. This unit was established for the first time in 1991 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
yotta: A prefix in the metric system for a million billion billion — or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This unit was established for the first time in 1991 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
zepto: A prefix in the metric system for a sextillionth — or a thousand billion billionths of something — which can be written as 0.000,000,000,000,000,000,001. This unit was established for the first time in 1991 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
zetta: A prefix in the metric system for a sextillion — or a thousand billion billions of something — which can be written as 1.000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This unit was established for the first time in 1991 by the General Conference on Weights and Measures.
