In the following sentence, is the everyday or the scientific meaning of work intended?
A student works on a term paper.
The everyday meaning. The physical meaning would be measured in terms of the pushing of a pencil or keyboard keys.
To determine whether the everyday or scientific meaning of "work" is intended in the sentence "A student works on a term paper," you can consider the context and the typical usage of the word.
1. Everyday meaning: In the context of a student working on a term paper, the everyday meaning of "work" is more likely to be intended. In this sense, "work" refers to the cognitive effort, research, writing, and other activities involved in completing the term paper. It does not refer to the scientific concept of work as a measure of force applied over a distance.
2. Scientific meaning: The scientific meaning of "work" is a measurable quantity defined as the product of force and displacement in the direction of the force. It is typically used in the context of physics and engineering to quantify the energy transferred or mechanical effort involved in moving an object.
Based on the given sentence and the context of a student working on a term paper, it is more reasonable to interpret the word "work" in its everyday meaning rather than its scientific meaning.