The Vocabulary of Science and Technology

2nd Year Bac · Unit 9 · Vocabulary

Learn the words behind scientific progress — breakthroughs, discoveries, and the fields that drive them.

What this unit covers

This unit explores how science and technology have transformed our lives — through breakthroughs, inventions, and constant research. As one saying goes: without science and technology, we would still be living in the Stone Age.

عن ماذا تتحدث هذه الوحدة؟
تستكشف هذه الوحدة كيف غيّر العلم والتكنولوجيا حياتنا — من خلال الاختراقات العلمية، والاختراعات، والبحث المستمر. كما يُقال: لولا العلم والتكنولوجيا، لكنا ما زلنا نعيش في العصر الحجري.

Key vocabulary

Progress and discovery

a breakthroughan inventiona discoveryresearchan experimentinnovationcutting-edge

💡 Good to know

A breakthrough is a sudden, important advance or discovery — often the biggest, most exciting word in this unit. “The internet is one of the most significant breakthroughs in technology.”

Fields of science

Branches of science

astronomychemistrybiologyphysicsengineeringprogrammingmedicine

Definitions

Astronomy is the study of everything in the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
Chemistry studies the composition, structure, and properties of matter.
Engineering uses scientific principles to design and build machines and structures.

Word families

Verb

to invent — Bell invented the telephone.
to discover — Scientists discovered a new species.
to research — She researches renewable energy.

Noun / Person

invention / inventor
discovery
research (also a noun) / researcher

Exam tip

“Research” is unusual: it’s both a verb and a noun with the same spelling. “She does research” (noun) vs. “She researches diseases” (verb).

Useful collocations

Learn these phrases

a scientific breakthrougha groundbreaking discoverycutting-edge technologymedical advancesartificial intelligenceto conduct researchto carry out an experiment

In a sentence

Thanks to medical advances, doctors can now treat diseases that were once incurable. Scientists conduct research for years before making a groundbreaking discovery.

Common mistakes to avoid

⚠️ Watch out

❌ Alexander Graham Bell discovered the telephone. → ✅ Bell invented the telephone. (you invent something new; you discover something that already existed)

❌ She does researches on cancer. → ✅ She does research on cancer. (research is uncountable — no “a research”, no plural “researches” in this sense)

❌ This is a big break through. → ✅ This is a big breakthrough. (one word)

✏️

Your turn — choose the correct word

1. The internet is one of the most significant ___ in technology.
2. Alexander Graham Bell ___ the telephone.
3. Scientists ___ a new planet last year.
4. Choose the correct sentence.
5. ___ is the study of everything beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
6. Which field studies the composition of matter?
7. Choose the correct sentence.
8. “To conduct research” means ___.
9. Someone who invents something is called a(n) ___.
10. Choose the correct sentence.
11. “Cutting-edge technology” means ___.
12. Which uses scientific principles to design machines?

✏️ Your turn ✍️

Write 4–5 sentences about science and technology, using at least three words from this lesson (e.g. breakthrough, research, invention, discovery). You could write about: