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The Mayfield Handbook of Technical & Scientific Writing
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Section 7.4

Technical Terms

Technical terms are an essential part of all technical and scientific writing. Each field and specialty typically uses a vocabulary that relays a variety of specialized concepts by means of technical language. These special terms convey concentrated meanings that have been built up over significant periods of study of a field. The value of a specialized set of terms lies in the way each term condenses a mass of information into a single word. Technical terminology is often thought of as a shorthand, a way of gaining great depth and accuracy of meaning with economy of words. Technical terms often blend readily into formulae and mathematical manipulation, a term such as force being folded into a formula such as f = ma. This quantification allows the concept to be manipulated mathematically.

Technical terms can also lead to a great density of prose that is difficult to understand, even for the specialized reader. Observe these four principles when using specialized terminology:

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