''This article is about the profession. For the Australian indie rock band see
The Scientists. For the dub musician see
Scientist.
A
scientist is a person who is
expert in an area of
science and who uses the
scientific method in
research. Upon the request of the poet
Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1833,
William Whewell invented the English word “scientist;” before this time the only terms in use were “natural philosopher” and “man of science.”
Traditionally mathematics has been grouped with the sciences, but in modern times people tend not to regard mathematicians as scientists. Mathematical discoveries generally appear to be arrived at differently than scientific ones, and
experiments as they are usually conceived are unable to supply
mathematical proof. Yet the class of people called "scientists" includes theorists who never do experiments, and even pure experimentalists often employ mathematics and
deduction to arrive at their
conclusions. At the same time, mathematical proofs may proceed by way of an example or a demonstration, which share something in common with experiments. The distinction between math and science is therefore not clear-cut.
Experts traditionally regarded as scientists include:
See also
bn:বিজ্ঞানী
ca:Científic
de:Wissenschaftler
eo:Sciencisto
nl:Wetenschapper
simple:Scientist
sl:znanstvenik
sv:Vetenskapsman
zh:科学家
fr:Savant