Convention / Terminology niggles

[Royston]

Just wondered if there's a scientific term or maybe convention, that has really niggled anybody, and are sometimes unnecessary, but have been used regardless, because it's more hassle to start rewriting the terminolgy in text books, because they're now widely recognised. I guess demoting Pluto from planet status, is an example when this has been (arguably) rectified.

 

Here's a couple of examples, off the top of my head...

 

The direction of current, which is opposite to electron flow.

 

EMF, electromotive force, which isn't a force.

 

Anybody care to add to the list, and perhaps clear up some misnomers on the way ?

Edited July 3, 2008 by Snail

[DrP]

I really hate the way that on the continant they use a comma as a decimal point. Really could confuse issues as we use a comma to tidy up large numbers to denote thousands.

 

eg. 100.001 (one hundered point zero zero one) would be denoted as 100,001 (which to me reads as one hundered thousand and one).

[Gilded]

Lots of misnomers in biology, if they count. "Oh, it turns out that the yellow giant shrew is actually a lizard and not yellow at all but changing the name would be such a hassle."

[Royston]

I really hate the way that on the continant they use a comma as a decimal point. Really could confuse issues as we use a comma to tidy up large numbers to denote thousands.

 

eg. 100.001 (one hundered point zero zero one) would be denoted as 100,001 (which to me reads as one hundered thousand and one).

 

I'm glad you told me, there's people at work who use the comma notation, and I was on the verge of telling them to use standard decimal notation, which is now unjustified

 

I'm surprised this hasn't resulted in some whopping financial errors, atleast I havn't heard of any.

[DrP]

I'm glad you told me, there's people at work who use the comma notation, and I was on the verge of telling them to use standard decimal notation, which is now unjustified

 

I'd do it. The old saying "When in Rome...." If there are here in the UK then make them use our notation. It's much better anyway!

 

 

I'm surprised this hasn't resulted in some whopping financial errors, atleast I havn't heard of any

 

Quite!

[Externet]

Kind of verbal terminology, thankGod not used in typing!, the stupidity of inserting a dozen 'you know' per minute in a conversation.

It cracks me up when used responding to a question.:D:D What do some have in their brains ?

[CDarwin]

There are loads of scientific names which are awkward and insensible but we're stuck with just because it's a convention. Like Australopithecus afarensis. What we have there is "southern ape of Afar." Well afarensis isn't an ape and it isn't particularly from the south of the Afar Triangle. But Australopithecus is what Dart called the genus to describe his "southern ape of Africa" (which he actually thought might be an ape and was from southern Africa), so that's what we've got.

 

There are lots of examples from anatomy too. "Mammillary bodies" don't have anything to do with milk production but are brain structures that happen to look like breasts, so they got that name. Human and zoological dental nomenclature is annoying inconsistent as well. In zoological terms, the first premolar that occurs in the human mouth is really the primitive mammalian third premolar, so it is called P3. But in dentistry it is normally referred to as the first premolar, P1. In disciplines that draw from both zoological and dental studies, such as physical anthropology, there is often confusion as to which standard to use.

 

My favorite inappropriate species common name is probably flying lemur, which of course don't fly and aren't lemurs. There's a push to call them colugos lately, but that's just much less fun.

[blike]

All the medical syndromes that are named after their discoverer really get on my nerves. I'd much rather they stick to the traditional the latin naming scheme. Maybe it's because as a student it's very tedious to try and remember which disease is which person. There is actually a push to prefer the latin names in medical education, but the problem is that the older generation of physicians know and reference many syndromes by their colloquial name. For example, Von Hippel-Lindau (often shortened to VHL) is more appropriately named cerebelloretinal hemangioblastomatosis. That could be shortened to CRHB or something, and it makes far more sense and is much easier to remember than trying to remember which disease Von Hippel-Lindau is.

[Gilded]

All the medical syndromes that are named after their discoverer really get on my nerves. I'd much rather they stick to the traditional the latin naming scheme. Maybe it's because as a student it's very tedious to try and remember which disease is which person. There is actually a push to prefer the latin names in medical education, but the problem is that the older generation of physicians know and reference many syndromes by their colloquial name. For example, Von Hippel-Lindau (often shortened to VHL) is more appropriately named cerebelloretinal hemangioblastomatosis. That could be shortened to CRHB or something, and it makes far more sense and is much easier to remember than trying to remember which disease Von Hippel-Lindau is.

 

Then again, some of the discoverers do have pretty funny names. A disease with a high mortality rate is easier to cope with if it has an especially hilarious name, I'd imagine.

[iNow]

I think that's a bit of a stretch, Gilded.

 

 

Doc: "We're sorry, Mr. Smith, but you only have 2 months to live."

Smith: "What!?! Why? What did you guys find? What's going to kill me?"

Doc: "Well, it's called 'Harry Balls Syndrome."

Smith: "Okay, now I know you're just messing with me. For a moment there I actually thought you were serious."

Doc: "We are, Mr. Smith. Dr. Balls discovered this in 1974 through his work with longhorn steer."

Smith: "Oh, well, that sucks, but it sure has a funny name. I'm really not so worried now."