Editing 2501: Average Familiarity
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This comic claims that experts vastly overestimate how familiar other people are with their own field of study. As an example, [[Randall]] shows a conversation between [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] as two {{w|geochemistry|geochemists}} specializing in {{w|silicate}} chemistry. Although the two scientists understand that the layman does not know all that they know about silicates, they are still under the impression that other people at least know the chemical makeup of {{w|olivine}} and some {{w|feldspar}}s. Cueball also mentions {{w|quartz}}, an even simpler mineral taken for granted by Ponytail. | This comic claims that experts vastly overestimate how familiar other people are with their own field of study. As an example, [[Randall]] shows a conversation between [[Ponytail]] and [[Cueball]] as two {{w|geochemistry|geochemists}} specializing in {{w|silicate}} chemistry. Although the two scientists understand that the layman does not know all that they know about silicates, they are still under the impression that other people at least know the chemical makeup of {{w|olivine}} and some {{w|feldspar}}s. Cueball also mentions {{w|quartz}}, an even simpler mineral taken for granted by Ponytail. | ||
| β | In truth, the average person can't be expected to know the chemical makeup of ''any'' arbitrarily-chosen substance reliably (or any material at all), if that average person's job and hobby do not involve chemistry β aside from the few that made their way into {{w|common knowledge}}, like NaCl for salt (sodium chloride or {{w|halite}} in mineral form), H<sub>2</sub>O for water (facetiously known as dihydrogen monoxide, {{w|ice}} in mineral form), or CO<sub>2</sub> for carbon dioxide (while most people are more familiar with its gaseous form, it is also used in mineral form as {{w|dry ice}}), and may not even know the definition of "feldspar" beyond "a mineral", if at all. | + | In truth, the average person can't be expected to know the chemical makeup of ''any'' arbitrarily-chosen substance reliably (or any material at all), if that average person's job and hobby do not involve chemistry β aside from the few that made their way into {{w|common knowledge}}, like NaCl for salt<ref>"NaCl (Sodium Chloride)" Kate & Anna McGarrigle. 2010. Accessed August 17th, 2021. http://www.mcgarrigles.com/music/the-mcgarrigle-hour/nacl-sodium-chloride</ref> (sodium chloride or {{w|halite}} in mineral form), H<sub>2</sub>O for water (facetiously known as dihydrogen monoxide, {{w|ice}} in mineral form), or CO<sub>2</sub> for carbon dioxide (while most people are more familiar with its gaseous form, it is also used in mineral form as {{w|dry ice}}), and may not even know the definition of "feldspar" beyond "a mineral", if at all. |
It even goes so far as to initially gloss over the 'everyday' knowledge of quartz... until prompted by the slightly-less-overestimating partner in the conversation. Perhaps like a gardener forgetting to mention the lawn he maintains (along with the 'actual' plants in the borders or vegetable patches), there seemed no need to include such a common mineral as a subject of silicate chemistry. Quartz is a basic silicon oxide (SiO<sub>2</sub>) that many non-chemists ''have'' heard of because it is common and has a variety of uses, though they would not know its chemical structure. Quartz ''can'' be found as distinct large-scale crystals (probably obvious to the layman, as an ice-cube is in a drink) but also features as a hard-wearing micro-constituent of many rocks. Quartz is a major component of most sand (except for coral sands, which are calcium carbonates). Quartz crystals are sometimes made into jewelry and other decorative objects. Most modern clocks use {{w|Crystal oscillator|the resonance frequency of quartz}} to keep time. | It even goes so far as to initially gloss over the 'everyday' knowledge of quartz... until prompted by the slightly-less-overestimating partner in the conversation. Perhaps like a gardener forgetting to mention the lawn he maintains (along with the 'actual' plants in the borders or vegetable patches), there seemed no need to include such a common mineral as a subject of silicate chemistry. Quartz is a basic silicon oxide (SiO<sub>2</sub>) that many non-chemists ''have'' heard of because it is common and has a variety of uses, though they would not know its chemical structure. Quartz ''can'' be found as distinct large-scale crystals (probably obvious to the layman, as an ice-cube is in a drink) but also features as a hard-wearing micro-constituent of many rocks. Quartz is a major component of most sand (except for coral sands, which are calcium carbonates). Quartz crystals are sometimes made into jewelry and other decorative objects. Most modern clocks use {{w|Crystal oscillator|the resonance frequency of quartz}} to keep time. | ||
