—And They Got This One Right!

Here’s another quote from the last post’s article about the proof of quantum mechanics:

In 2021, they outlined a way to beef up their single atom-chip interferometer for use with macroscopic objects, such as diamonds comprising a few million atoms.

Yes! NOT “is comprised of.” Comprise goes from the whole thing to its parts, so this usage is correct.

Here’s another picture from the article:

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It’s in an article about discovering the proof for quantum mechanics. I made the incorrect word bold:

The next morning, he and colleagues developed the plate and struck gold: a silver deposit neatly split in two, like a kiss from the quantum realm. Gerlach documented the result in a microphotograph and shipped it as a postcard to Bohr, along with the message: “We congratulate you on the confirmation of your theory.”

https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-often-overlooked-experiment-that-revealed-the-quantum-world-20231205/

The correct word is photomicrograph, not microphotograph. Photomicrograph means the graphic part is microscopic. A microphotograph would be something like what you find on microfilm.

Here’s a diagram of the device they used:

I think I hardly need to say anything. Except PROOFREAD!

“Seem like” literally means to appear to be similar to.

But I think she means that he seems to be a nice guy, not similar to a nice guy.

As you might guess, I don’t recommend using the phrase “seem like.”

First panel. Ignore the porcupine’s humorous misapplication.

So what do you think is the actual (subtle, right?) difference between “the words”jam” and “pickle”?

Here’s my take:

• A jam is when you are stuck without a solution.
• A pickle is when you have a choice and can’t decide which choice to take.

Put your opinion in the comments.