California IN BRIEF : MERCED : Stellar Student Spots Dictionary’s Error
A seventh-grade student who excels in science classes has caught Webster’s New World Dictionary in an error. Joseph Perez, 12, was flipping through the Ms when he saw the entry on Mercury. The dictionary mistakenly describes it as the smallest planet in the solar system. A publishing company assistant, Ana Crespo of Warner Books, acknowledged the mistake in a letter to Perez. She pointed out that the entry has been corrected in newer editions. But she congratulated the boy for his good eye. The smallest planet in the solar system is Pluto, about one-third the size of Mercury. Scientists did not make the determination until 1978.
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