The meaning of a word can vary quite a lot, depending
on how and where we use it. Many of the words that scientists use
when discussing energy including the word energy itself
also appear in our daily speech. For example, one might say "If
it takes all my energy, I'm going to force that kid to work on cleaning
his room!" Or, "When we work together we can feel the healing energy
flow through the group." Or, "She has worked on the police force
ever since the energy crisis forced her to move to the city."
In these sentences the words "energy," "work," and "force" are used
in non-scientific ways. Many words have no real meanings other than
their scientific ones. There are no everyday meanings for "deoxyribose
nucleic acid" or for "chemosynthesis." But for words that have both
scientific and non-scientific meanings it is important to know how
the scientific definition differs from the everyday use. This chart
is a guide to the meanings of some words used in Science in Focus:
Energy.