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 Topic
C4: Three Kinds of Definitions
What are the three kinds of definitions?
A term can be defined three different ways depending upon
its intended use. A definition can have three kinds of users: everyone,
technical and scientific.
What is the intended use of the term determines how a
term should be defined. This can be illustrated by the term "yellow."
General
Since a ripe lemon is the color yellow, yellow can be defined as the color
of a ripe lemon. As long as a student knows what a ripe lemon looks like,
he or she will know what is the color yellow.
Yellow is a color that resembles
a ripe lemon.
What takes place when yellow is defined as the color of
a ripe lemon is making the connection between the term yellow and the
color of a ripe lemon. This connection is comparing a color to the color
of a ripe lemon.
However, this definition would probably not be useful
to a painter, designer, or photographer because ripe lemons' color can
vary. There could be a debate as to when or which is a yellow lemon.
These people would need a professional definition.
Professional
A painter, designer or photographer would need a professional definition of
yellow because they are going to use this definition when shading objects
and pictures. A definition of a spectrum and the order of the color
bands dispersed through it must be known to those who use color in their
profession.
Yellow is the portion of the
spectrum between green and orange.
However, this definition would not be useful to a scientist
because a scientist wants a definition that can be exactly measured.
A scientist would want a scientific definition.
Scientific
A scientist requires a definition that would permit him or her to determine
exactly when something is yellow. This definition would never be open to
interpretation of when something's color is yellow.
Yellow is radiant energy with
a wavelength of 580 nanometers.
When defining yellow as radiant energy with a wavelength
of 580 nanometers, this definition does not permit the average person
to identify something as yellow. Also, this definition does not help
the artist understand the different shades of colors. However, this definition
permits a scientist to accurately identify something's color as yellow.
| Teaching
Suggestions |
Determine what kind of
definition is required to learn and apply the information presented
in your course.
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