Write a definition of a term in Computer Science field for two audiences:
1. general audience (300 words)
2. academic for a graduate student in the Computer Science field (300 words)
Write about 600 words total.
For each description, change the style of your writing- think about passive voice vs active, level
of vocabulary, and depth of explanation and examples.
That does not mean you need to make the academic one full of jargon, however. One aspect from
the video(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sweN8d4_MUg) we watched about CRISPR is
how the advanced definition goes more into applications and complications rather than just
explaining what the concept is. Using examples is great: think about using metaphors to explain
the concept, much like the video used “scissors” to explain CRISPR to a child.
In Swales and Feak, Unit 2, they explain one common organizational pattern: general to specific.
One place it is commonly used is in introductions to research papers, which often contain
definitions. (you don’t have to read it)
Consider starting your extended definition with a one-sentence definition.
General Specific and Definitions
You need to use your own words to explain the concept. You should not have to use a source,
but if you do, cite it with an in-text citation and provide a bibliography.
Scan the two examples. (It may help)
Academic Example_Heat Island effect (https://www.nature.com/articles/
s41467-021-22799-5 )
General Audience Example_Heat Island (https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/
uploads/2021/10/heat_article )
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22799-5
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22799-5
https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/heat_article
https://www.sciencejournalforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/heat_article
General- Specific
• First organizational structure: General- Specific.
• GS texts are quite common in graduate student writing,
• and they are comparatively straightforward.
• The GS pattern can be used at the paragraph level as well as for larger
units of discourse, such as a series of paragraphs in a section or even
the text as a whole.
• GS organization is often used to structure an introduction for a longer
piece of writing.
• A GS pattern can help you produce
• a. an answer to an examination question
• b. a course paper
• c. an opening paragraph of an assignment
• d. background (or scene-setting) to an analysis or discussion
• GS texts typically begin with one of the following: a short or extended
definition, a generalization or purpose statement, a statement of fact,
or some interesting statistics
● See task 12 page 79
Topic sentences should:
Identify the main idea of the paragraph
Not be too general or too specific
Be supported by details or explanation in the other
sentences of the paragraph
Example
Your Turn! Write a topic sentence for this paragraph:
__________________________________________. It is estimated that
within the next fifty years, there will be a one in three chance that the
Pacific Northwest will experience between an 8.0 and 8.6 earthquake, and
a one in ten chance that the earthquake will range between 8.7 and 9.2
(Schulz, 2015). Historically, a massive earthquake has hit the Pacific
Northwest on an average of every 244 years. We are now over 300 years
past the last major earthquake, meaning that it could occur at any
moment (Schulz, 2015).
Definitions
• Sentence Definition usually starts an extended definition:
• Term = class + distinguishing detail
• be careful of circular definitions:
• An electron microscope is a microscope that looks at electrons.
• An electron microscope is a type of microscope with high magnification and
resolution, employing electron beams in place of light and using electron
lenses.
Audience:
Knowing who your readers are, what they understand about
the subject, how well they speak English, and how they will
use the document will help you determine the kind of
document to make.
Definitions:
This is due to the fact that Python and C fundamentally handle
and represent data differently. The C language is procedural,
statically typed, and enables explicit access to memory via the
use of pointers, whereas Python is an object oriented language,
dynamically typed, and does not allow explicit access to
memory.
• What does this tell us about the background of the reader?
Strategies for definitions:
Examples
Examples are particularly useful in making an abstract term
easier to understand. Where is this concept used in the real
world? Where would your audience have seen this? Who uses it?
Partition
Partitioning is the process of dividing a thing or an idea into
smaller parts so that readers can understand it more easily
Strategies cont.
Principle of Operation
Describing the principle of operation—the way something works—
is an effective way to develop an extended definition, especially
for an object or a process.
Comparison and Contrast
Using comparison and contrast, a writer discusses the similarities
or differences between the item being defined and an item with
which readers are more familiar.
Negation:
A special kind of contrast is negation, sometimes called
negative statement. Negation clarifies a term by distinguishing
it from a different term with which readers might confuse it.
Analogy
An analogy is a specialized kind of comparison. In a traditional
comparison, the writer compares one item to another, similar item:
an electron microscope to a light microscope, for example. In an
analogy, however, the item being defined is compared to an item
that is in some ways completely different but that shares some
essential characteristic. For instance, the central processing unit
of a computer is often compared to a brain.
• Examples —
https://gcn.com/Articles/2014/01/10/NSA-data-center-wastewater-
cooling.aspx?admgarea=TC_DataCenter&Page=1
http://www.electronics-cooling.com/2013/12/cooling-cloud-energy-
efficient-warm-water-cooling-servers/
https://gcn.com/Articles/2014/01/10/NSA-data-center-wastewater-cooling.aspx?admgarea=TC_DataCenter&Page=1
https://gcn.com/Articles/2014/01/10/NSA-data-center-wastewater-cooling.aspx?admgarea=TC_DataCenter&Page=1
Cooling the Cloud: Energy-Efficient Warm-Water Cooling of Servers
Cooling the Cloud: Energy-Efficient Warm-Water Cooling of Servers
One definition- Five audiences
Biologist explains CRISPR to five audiences:
● Using our knowledge of audience and general specific texts, write
two definitions of the same term from your field.
● Audience 1: high school level
● Audience 2: someone in your same field
● Use different levels of style/tone/vocabulary in your writing
● Start with a sentence definition.
● Use general specific structure
● Use strategies for definitions such as exapmples and metaphors
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
