Why’s a scientist called a scientist, and how did Romans do multiplication?

We explore the curious questions that science can answer

The word ‘scientist’ was first used a couple of hundred years ago (Getty)

Why is a scientist called a scientist?

The word comes from the Latin scire, which means “to know”. A scientist is thus one who knows or learns. Before the word was first used, a couple of hundred years ago, scientists used to be called natural philosophers. “Philosophy” comes from the Greek words for “lover of true knowledge”.

How did Pascal measure atmospheric pressure with a 40ft glass tube full of wine?