Atoms in Motion
1-1 Introduction
extent B2 noun
the physical size of an area
Surprisingly enough, in spite of the tremendous amount of work that has been done for all this time it is possible to condense the enormous mass of results to a large extent — that is, to find laws which summarize all our knowledge.
ignorance C1 noun
a lack of knowledge or information about something
First, we do not yet know all the basic laws: there is an expanding frontier of ignorance.
preparatory adj.
done in order to prepare for something
Therefore, one needs a considerable amount of preparatory training even to learn what the words mean. No, it is not possible to do it that way.
sole C1 adj.
only; single
Experiment is the sole judge of scientific “truth.”
beneath C1 preposition
in or to a lower position than somebody/something; under somebody/something
But also needed is imagination to create from these hints the great generalizations—to guess at the wonderful, simple, but very strange patterns beneath them all, and then to experiment to check again whether we have made the right guess.
apparatus C1 noun
[uncountable] the tools or other pieces of equipment that are needed for a particular activity or task
First, in a trivial way: if something is wrong with the apparatus that you did not notice.
snatch at phrasal verb
to try to take hold of something with your hands
So without snatching at such minor things, how can the results of an experiment be wrong?
periphery noun
the outer edge of a particular area
in particular, physics, but also of other sciences on the periphery
1-2 Matter is made of atoms
cataclysm
perpetual
magnify
paramecia
cilia
teeming
jittery
coarse
patiently
1-3 Atomic processes
crude
preponderance
solution
precipitation
1-4 Chemical reactions
vengeance
jostling
transpire
lo and behold