algorithm: A group of rules or procedures for solving a problem in a series of steps. Algorithms are used in mathematics and in computer programs for figuring out solutions.
app: Short for application, or a computer program designed for a specific task.
average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.
carbon: (in climate studies) The term carbon sometimes will be used almost interchangeably with carbon dioxide to connote the potential impacts that some action, product, policy or process may have on long-term atmospheric warming.
carbon dioxide: (or CO2) A colorless, odorless gas produced by all animals when the oxygen they inhale reacts with the carbon-rich foods that they’ve eaten. Carbon dioxide also is released when organic matter burns (including fossil fuels like oil or gas). Carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat in Earth’s atmosphere. Plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen during photosynthesis, the process they use to make their own food.
carbon footprint: A popular term for measuring the global warming potential of various products or processes. Their carbon footprint translates to the amount of some greenhouse gas — usually carbon dioxide — that something releases per unit of time or per quantity of product.
cell: (in telecommunications) A technology that relies on a large number of base stations to relay signals. Each base station covers only a small area, which is known as a cell. Phones that rely on this system are typically referred to as cell phones.
circular economy: A system where the things that are made and sold will one day find new life after they are no longer needed. This can be done either through reuse or a recycling of their raw materials back to make new products. In this way, companies can continue to make new goods without always needing to harvest resources faster than they can be reproduced in nature. Such a production system is described as sustainable and environmentally friendly.
climate: The weather conditions that typically exist in one area, in general, or over a long period.
climate change: Long-term, significant change in the climate of Earth. It can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests.
computer chip: (also integrated circuit) The computer component that processes and stores information.
conductive: Able to carry an electric current.
COVID-19: A name given to the disease that erupted into a massive global pandemic in 2020. It first emerged in 2019 and is caused by a new coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms can include pneumonia, trouble breathing, feeling too tired to walk more than a few steps, fever, headaches, low blood-oxygen levels, blood clots and brain “fog.”
data center: A facility that holds computing hardware, such as servers, routers, switches and firewalls. It also will house equipment to support that hardware, including air conditioning and backup power supplies. Such a center ranges in size from part of a room to one or more dedicated buildings. These centers can house what it takes to make a “cloud” that makes possible cloud computing.
digital: (in computer science and engineering) An adjective indicating that something has been developed numerically on a computer or on some other electronic device, based on a binary system (where all numbers are displayed using a series of only zeros and ones).
echo: To bounce back. Or ideas or events that seem to reflect one or more others, as a reverberating sound might.
economy: Term for the combined wealth and resources (people, jobs, land, forests and minerals, for instance) of a nation or region. It is often measured in terms of jobs and income or in terms of the production and use of goods (such as products) and services (for instance, nursing or internet access).
electricity: A flow of charge, usually from the movement of negatively charged particles, called electrons.
environmental footprint: A measure of the impacts someone’s activities (purchases, behaviors or use of resources) has on the environment. One common example is the so-called carbon footprint of human activities. It’s a measure of how much those actions contribute to a release of carbon dioxide and methane, two climate-warming gases. But farming can release soil minerals, erode topsoil or put toxic pesticides into the environment. And taking down forests to build new roads and towns not only can reduce the habitat for wildlife but also limit the ability of soils to absorb moisture and build break down organic matter into useful nutrients. Those, too, contribute to our environmental footprints.
focus: (in behavior) To look or concentrate intently on some particular point or thing.
fuel: Any material that will release energy during a controlled chemical or nuclear reaction. Fossil fuels (coal, natural gas and petroleum) are a common type that liberate their energy through chemical reactions that take place when heated (usually to the point of burning).
greenhouse gas: A gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing heat. Carbon dioxide is one example of a greenhouse gas.
internet: An electronic communications network. It allows computers anywhere in the world to link into other networks to find information, download files and share data (including pictures).
landfill: A site where trash is dumped and then covered with dirt to reduce smells. If they are not lined with impermeable materials, rains washing through these waste sites can leach out toxic materials and carry them downstream or into groundwater. Because trash in these facilities is covered by dirt, the wastes do not get ready access to sunlight and microbes to aid in their breakdown. As a result, even newspaper sent to a landfill may resist breakdown for many decades.
manufacturing: The making of things, usually on a large scale.
mass: A number that shows how much an object resists speeding up and slowing down — basically a measure of how much matter that object is made from.
mineral: Crystal-forming substances that make up rock, such as quartz, apatite or various carbonates. Most rocks contain several different minerals mish-mashed together. A mineral usually is solid and stable at room temperatures and has a specific formula, or recipe (with atoms occurring in certain proportions) and a specific crystalline structure (meaning that its atoms are organized in regular three-dimensional patterns).
model: A simulation of a real-world event (usually using a computer) that has been developed to predict one or more likely outcomes. Or an individual that is meant to display how something would work in or look on others.
online: (n.) On the internet. (adj.) A term for what can be found or accessed on the internet.
pandemic: An outbreak of disease that affects a large proportion of the population across much or most of the world. The most notable, recent one was the global outbreak of COVID-19.
pediatrics: A field of medicine that has to do with children and especially child health. A doctor who works in this field is known as a pediatrician.
server: A term for a computer — and especially the software on it — that provides services (hence, the name server) to other computers. A server computer program, for instance, stands ready to fulfill requests by its clients (which are other computer programs). For instance, a web server pulls up website pages or other files upon request. The web browser that you use on your computer to find things on the internet is one type of client. It calls up files from a web server.
silicon: A nonmetal, semiconducting element used in making electronic circuits. Pure silicon exists in a shiny, dark-gray crystalline form and as a shapeless powder.
smart device: Some product or machine that can send information to and retrieve information from the internet, or that can be controlled via the internet, such as by using an app on a smartphone.
smartphone: A cell (or mobile) phone that can perform a host of functions, including search for information on the internet.
social media: Digital media that allow people to connect with each other (often anonymously) and to share information. Examples include Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp.
social network: Communities of people (or animals) that are interrelated owing to the way they relate to each other. In humans, this can involve sharing details of their life and interests on Twitter or Facebook, or perhaps belonging to the same sports team, religious group or school.
sustainable: (n. sustainability) An adjective to describe the use of resources in a such a way that they will continue to be available long into the future.
tablets: (in computing) A type of small, hand-held computer that can connect to the internet and that users can control using a touch screen.
texting: The sending of a text message from a mobile (cell) phone.