yerkes
Very Low (C2+)Technical/Historical
Definition
Meaning
A unit of pressure equal to one dyne per square centimeter.
A rarely used cgs unit of pressure, named after physicist John William Yerkes. It has been largely superseded by the pascal in scientific contexts.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is almost exclusively found in older scientific literature or in discussions about the history of physics and measurement systems.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in usage; the term is equally obsolete in both scientific communities.
Connotations
Historical, outdated, of purely academic interest.
Frequency
Extremely rare in modern texts. Might appear in footnotes or historical reviews.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Number] yerkesa pressure of [Number] yerkesVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Never used.
Academic
Only in historical or metrological contexts discussing cgs units.
Everyday
Virtually unknown.
Technical
Extremely niche term in physics history.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The yerkes unit is defunct.
- Yerkes measurements were common in early acoustics.
American English
- The yerkes unit is obsolete.
- Yerkes values are given in the old paper.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The old experiment measured pressure in yerkes.
- Early 20th-century physicists often used the yerkes, a unit equivalent to one dyne per square centimetre.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think 'Yerkes' rhymes with 'per ks' (per square centimeters).
Conceptual Metaphor
None standard. Can be thought of as a 'pressure footprint' of a force.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with the name 'Yerkes' (a surname). It is a specific technical term.
- It is not a common noun in any other context.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'yerks' or 'yurkes'.
- Confusing it with the more common unit 'pascal'.
- Assuming it is a verb or adjective.
Practice
Quiz
What is a 'yerkes' a unit of?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an obsolete unit from the cgs system, completely replaced by the pascal (Pa) in the SI system.
It was named after John William Yerkes, an American physicist.
1 yerkes (1 dyne/cm²) is equal to 0.1 pascals (0.1 Pa).
Only if you are studying the history of physics or metrology. It is not part of active, modern scientific vocabulary.