http://wordie.org/words/barn Comments for the word 'Barn' http://wordie.org http://wordie.org/words/barn#comments A unit of area for measuring the reaction cross-section (generally different from the geometric cross-section) of <a href="/words/atomic">atomic</a> nuclei and subatomic particles in the study of their interactions with other nuclei or particles. A barn is equal to 10 to 24 square cm. The name, coined by U.S. scientists, is derived from the phrase "side of a barn"--something easy to hit. Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:52:53 +0000 http://wordie.org/words/barn#comments