Miriam Webster: a challenged view of verbage

I have consulted Miriam Webster on multiple occasions and been comforted, assailed, supported, devastated by learning the correct useage of words.  Comforted in that my perception of the meaning of the word in question was correct.  Assailed in that the useage of the word has changed from what I thought it was and I stand corrected.  Supported in that the power of the chosen word was magnified by the definition in Webster.  Devastated is where I am with this computer language that we have been exposed to in this Missionary Training Center.
For example, in the Glossary, Minim is defined as a downward vertical stroke in handwriting.  When I was taking music lessons as a child, minim was a musical note that had two beats.  Does Miriam Webster know about this change of useage?
Degradation is defined as: In image science, a loss of information (someties called a loss of signal) caused by a particular process such as lossy compresison or digital sampling.  In  my world, degradation refers to the damaging effect of light on the dye lots in fabric or the destruction of the fabric by the effect of certain glues and chemical laden fabric sprays and marking pens etc. that destroy the quilt over time.
Algorithm: a process or set of rules (often implemented in computer software) for solving a particular problem.
This last one I have heard of before.  Not because I heard it in a math class or something, but because I used to watch the TV show "Numbers" in which one of the characters is a math genius and he used algorithms to solve crime.  Yes, it left me scratching my head at times too.
In the handout, we have 8 pages of these new terms to become familiar with, and add to that an appendix that announces that it is "proposed image technical metadata elements" that runs for four pages.
Lets not forget the page of end notes that prop up the preceeding 34 pages of explanations.
The teacher lets the 34 pages of information and strange sounding terms (along with their defintions) roll off his tongue as easily as I can allow the term "Hohenselchow, Kreis Randow, Germany" roll off my tongue when talking about my Great Great Grandfather's birth place.

All I really want to do is to capture images on a digital camera that will then be available to people to research their ancestors.
The 47 page 'Digital Image specification" and 78 page "dCamX Camera Operator Training Manual" has to become an integral part of my vocabulary to do it.  Think of me in your prayers!