Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Chain of Ideas: Popularizers

These folks provide a link between the specialists who publish in technical journals and the "layperson" who does not have the time, background, or resources to read those publications directly. Popularizers make things understandable to you and me. Along the way, some information is lost, and other information may be misrepresented. Just how much information is lost or altered will depend on the skill and intentions of the popularizer.

Examples include your high school textbooks and also some well-known descriptions of history, math, and physics.