scientist

Everyday

A person who studies the natural world by asking questions, making careful observations and doing experiments, and who uses evidence to find out how things work. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons, pupils «work like scientists»: they ask questions, predict, plan a fair test, measure, record results and draw conclusions; famous scientists include Marie Curie, Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. Scientists change their ideas when new evidence shows they were wrong. Kinds include biologists, chemists, physicists and astronomers. Phrases: «a famous scientist», «work like a scientist», «scientists say».

Examples

• A scientist studies the world by doing experiments. tree →
• Marie Curie was a famous scientist who studied radioactivity. tree →
• When she grows up, she wants to be a scientist. tree →
• Scientists use evidence, not guesses. tree →
• Today we will work like scientists and test our predictions. tree →
• Scientists found a new kind of frog in the rainforest. tree →
• A scientist records her results carefully. tree →
• Good scientists repeat their experiments to check them. tree →

Note

Countable. Spelling trap: «sCIentist» — the c is silent, as in «science». A scientist is not the same as an inventor (who makes new machines) — though some are both. Myth: scientists are not always men in white coats; anyone can be one.