atom in a solid collects its fellows around it

Categories: Comparisons

An example of metaphor used in a scientist's writing:

"When a solid is made of a single kind of atom, the fact that it is solid shows that the atoms are all attracting one another. Then each may be expected to collect around it as many of its fellows as it can."

Alan Holden

Holden, A. (1965). The Nature of Solids. Columbia University Press.

Read about metaphor in science

Read about examples of science metaphors

Many examples of science metaphors are listed in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.

Author: Keith

Former school and college science teacher, teacher educator, research supervisor, and research methods lecturer. Emeritus Professor of Science Education at the University of Cambridge.