What is Science?

1. SCIENCE
- Latin word “scientia” which means “knowledge
- Greek word “scire” which means wisdom
- Systematized body of knowledge based on facts as a result of observation and experimentation used to
predict future events
- The system of acquiring knowledge through systematic experimentation and methodology. The search for
truth and knowledge.
SCIENCE according to Mcginn (1991) has four meanings:
1. As a KNOWLEDGE
a. The organized, well-founded body of knowledge of natural phenomena.
Ex: The germ theory of disease by Pasteur made an influential contribution to modern Science.
2. As a FIELD OF SYSTEMATIC INQUIRY TO NATURE
a. The particular field of systematic examination in which knowledge is pursued
3. As a FORM OF HUMAN CULTURAL ACTIVITY
a. A distinct form of human activity in which scientists are engaged
b. Scientists, natural philosophers, scholars
4. As a TOTAL SOCIETAL ENTERPRISE
a. The summation of knowledge, people, skills organization, facilities, techniques, physical resources,
methods and technology, which is devoted to the study and understanding of the natural world
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
- Principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation
of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing
of hypothesis. (Webster-Merriam Dictionary)
- Series of processes that people can use to gather about the world around them, improve that knowledge,
and, through gaining knowledge, attempt to explain why and/or how things occur. The exact steps vary from
source to source, but the general procedure is the same: acquiring knowledge through observation and
testing (Biologydictionary.net)
Scientific Method Steps (Biologydictionary.net)
1. Making an observation
Before hypotheses can be made or experiments can be done, one must first notice and think about
some sort of phenomena occurring
2. Asking a question
a. Why/ how is it occurring?
b. Why/how does it happen this way?
c. Sometimes this step is listed first in the scientific method, with making observation (and
researching the phenomena in question) list as second.
3. Forming a hypothesis
Hypothesis is an “educated guess” to explain the phenomena occurring based on prior observations
It answers the question posted in the previous step.

2. 4. Performing an experiment
a. After a hypothesis, an experiment must be set-up and performed to test the hypothesis.
b. An experiment must have an independent variable and dependent variable.
c. Independent variable is manipulated by the person doing the experiment.
d. Dependent variable is the thing being measured
e. During the experiment, data is collected.
f. Data is a set of values, it may be quantitative (measured in numbers) or qualitative (a
description or yes/no answer)
5. Analyzing Data
a. Research experiments are usually analysed with statistical software to determine the
relationships among the data.
b. In the case of simpler experiment, one would look at the data and see how they correlate with
the change in the independent variable
6. Forming a conclusion
a. The last step of the scientific method
b. If the data supports the hypothesis, then the hypothesis may be the explanation for the
phenomena
c. Multiple trials must be done to confirm the results, and it is also important to make sure that
the date is not skewed by just few observations.
d. If the data do not support the hypothesis, then more observations should be done, a new
hypothesis formed and the scientific method is used all over again.
e. When a conclusion is made, the research can be presented to others to inform them of the
finding and receive input regarding the validity of the conclusion drawn from the research.
Branches of Science
Life Sciences: any science that deals with living organisms, their life processes, and their interrelationships
Biology – Study of life
Botany – study of plants
Cytology – Study of cells
Ecology - studies the releationship of living things between each other and their environment.
Genetics- study of how features are passed to offspring from their parents.
Anatomy - study of the inner organs of the body (kidney, hert, liver etc.)
Physiology - function of tissue, organs and systems.
Microbiology - study of microscopic life.
Parasitology - study of parasites.
Bacteriology is the study of bacteria
Virology is the study of viruses.
Ornithology is the study of birds.
Entomology is the study of insects.
Mycology is the study of fungi.
Taxonomy - study of the classification of living organisms.
Morphology is concerned with phenotype (appearance) of living things.
Embryology studies the developmental patterns of organisms from zygote to birth.

3. Physical Science- Any of the sciences dealing with inanimate matter or with energy, physics, chemistry,
Chemistry- The science that deals with the composition, properties, reactions, and the structure of
matter.
Physics- The study of matter and energy and the interactions between them. Physicists study such
subjects as gravity, light, and time.
Earth/Space Science - any of various sciences that deal with the earth/space, its composition, or any of
its changing aspects.
Geology- The study of the origin, history, and structure of the Earth, and the physical, chemical, and
biological changes that it has experienced or is experiencing.
Meteorology-The study of the atmosphere and its phenomena, such as weather and climate
Paleontology- The study of the forms of life that existed in prehistoric or geologic periods.
Astronomy-The study of the universe beyond the earth's atmosphere
TECHNOLOGY
- the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation / Richard Rhodes
 “Technology is the application of science, engineering and industrial organization
to create a human-build world.”
- Joel Mokyr
 “By technological progress I mean any change in the application of information to the
production process in such a way as to increase efficiency, resulting either in the production
of a given output with fewer resources (i.e., lower costs), or the production of better or
new products.”
SOCIETY
- August Comte the father of sociology saw society as a social organism possessing a harmony of structure
and function.
- Emile Durkheim the founding father of the modern sociology treated society as a reality in its own right.
- Cole sees Society as the complex of organized associations and institutions with a community.
- Macelver and Page society is a system of usages and procedures of authority and mutual aid of many
groupings and divisions, of controls of human behavior and liberties. This ever changing complex system
which is called society is a web of social relationship
- Latin word 'socious' that means association or companionship.
- Thus society means 'A larger group of individuals, who are associative with each other'.