An example of an analogy calling upon a scientific concept:
"A QDot is a semiconducting particle with optical and electronic properties that are governed by the rules of quantum mechanics due to their size of just a few nanometres – about 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. These nanoparticles emit light of a specific wavelength when a blue LED shines on them….
As an early-career Black physicist and the son of Jamaican parents living in the UK, I very much felt like I was a quantum dot – a quantum black dot (QBD), if you will. In my research field, it was rare for someone who looked like me to be at the same seminar, conference or even in the same field. Against a backdrop of blue light, I had to find a way to radiate at different wavelengths, while knowing that the real powers of QBDs are harnessed when they're connected and working collectively."
Dr Mark Richards (senior teaching fellow, Imperial College London) was writing in Physics World
Richards, M. (2023) The joy of connecting quantum black dots, Physics World, 36 (1), pp.36-37.
Read examples of scientific analogies
Many examples of science analogies are listed in 'Creative comparisons: Making science familiar through language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts'. Free Download.
There is also a quotidian comparison here, with the quantum dot being about 10,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair
Read about quotidian comparisons
A document listing a wide range of examples of science analogies, similes, metaphors and other comparisons, drawn from diverse sources, can be downloaded using this link: 'Creative Comparisons: Making Science Familiar through Language. An illustrative catalogue of figurative comparisons and analogies for science concepts.'
