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ANALYZING THE EVOLUTION AND FREQUENCY OF CHEMISTRY TERMINOLOGY IN EDUCATION AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES

Abstract

The language of science education, particularly chemistry education, plays a crucial role in student learning and success. Language serves as the vehicle through which knowledge is transferred, making it essential for teachers and students to share a common linguistic understanding. This is especially true in science education, where specialized terminology is key to conveying complex concepts. The language of science is a melting pot of borrowed words, often derived from Greek, Latin, and other languages, and the words that survive are those that are most commonly taught and absorbed by students. Therefore, the frequency of specific chemistry terms correlates to what is easiest to learn and communicate. This research explores the methodologies used to assess the frequency and usage of chemical terminology in chemistry-focused environments. The study analyzes variations of common chemistry terms, such as “Lewis dot structure,” by comparing data from large pre-established language corpora and vocabulary choices in online chemistry discussions, such as those on StackExchange. Text data is processed and analyzed using Python to maximize efficiency and insight. The aim is to gather a large sample of speech and text used by diverse audiences to assess which terms are most commonly used and which are less prevalent. Preliminary results suggest notable differences in the frequency of term usage across these platforms. These findings highlight the evolving nature of chemistry terminology and suggest that future studies could explore language usage at a more granular level. As data collection and analysis methods improve, further research could provide valuable insights into the development and communication of chemistry language in both academic and public domains.

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