This document provides an overview of what science is and how it works. It discusses that:
1) Science is both a body of knowledge and a process of discovery to understand the natural world through evidence-based investigation of testable ideas and questions.
2) A key characteristic of science is that it aims to develop explanations of the natural world that can be revised as new evidence emerges. While scientific ideas are subject to change, they become widely accepted when supported by multiple lines of evidence.
3) An example of the scientific process discussed is Ernest Rutherford's early 20th century work investigating the structure of atoms through experiments firing alpha particles at gold foil. His goal was to understand the natural world at the atomic
What is science? Science, pseudoscience, non-scienceDennis Miller
Science plays a fundamental role in modern society. But what exactly is science? In philosophy this question is known as the demarcation problem (Popper, Kuhn, Laudan and others).
SCI 110Course
http://create.mcgraw-hill.com
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights
reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as
permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part
of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form
or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system,
without prior written permission of the publisher.
This McGraw-Hill Create text may include materials submitted to
McGraw-Hill for publication by the instructor of this course.
The instructor is solely responsible for the editorial content of such
materials. Instructors retain copyright of these additional materials.
ISBN-10: ISBN-13:
2013
1121838936 9781121838932
Contents
1. The Scientific Method 1
2. Section for Chapter 1 27
3. Motion 29
4. Section for Chapter 2 65
5. Energy 68
6. Section for Chapter 3 97
iii
Credits
1. The Scientific Method: Chapter 1 from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 1
2. Section for Chapter 1: Chapter from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 27
3. Motion: Chapter 2 from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 29
4. Section for Chapter 2: Chapter from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 65
5. Energy: Chapter 3 from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 68
6. Section for Chapter 3: Chapter from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 97
iv
Hell
I Sphe
re of the Moon
II Sphe
re of Mercury
III Sph
ere of Venus
IV Sph
ere of the Sun
V Spher
e of Mars
VI Spher
e of Jupiter
of SaturnVI
II Sph
ere of the fixed stars. The Zodiac
IX Cry
stalline sphere. Primum Mobile
VII Sphe
re
Purgatory
He
mis
pher
e
of
wa
ter
The D
ark
W
oo
d
Ai
r
Jerusalem
Earthly
Paradise
H
em
isphere
of Earth
Fire
Confirming Pages
1
1
How Scientists Study Nature
1.1 The Scientific Method
Four Steps
• What the scientific method is.
• The difference between a law and a
theory.
• The role of models in science.
1.2 Why Science Is Successful
Science Is a Living Body of Knowledge,
Not a Set of Frozen Ideas
• Why the scientific method is so success-
ful in understanding the natural world.
The Solar System
1.3 A Survey of the Sky
Everything Seems to Circle the North
Star
• Why Polaris seems almost stationary in
the sky.
• How to distinguish planets from stars
without a telescope.
1.4 The Ptolemaic System
The Earth as the Center of the Universe
• How the ptolemaic system explains the
astronomical universe.
1.5 The Copernican System
A Spinning Earth That Circles the Sun
• How the copernican system explains
the astronomical system.
1.6 Kepler’s Laws
How the Planets Actually Move
• The significance of Kepler’s laws.
1.7 Why Copernicus Was Right
Evidence Was Needed That Supported
His Model Wh.
The TermsMany terms mean different things in our common language a.docxgloriab9
The Terms
Many terms mean different things in our common language and in scientific language, which leads to misunderstandings about what they mean. This is especially true with terms like theory and law. The table below shows a few terms about scientific knowledge, defined in both our common language and scientific language.
Commonly Misunderstood Terms
Term
Common Definition
Scientific Definition
hypothesis
an educated guess
a
testable
explanation used to guide research
theory
an idea
a set of ideas supported by multiple experiments, done by multiple scientists that describe
why
something occurs
law
an absolute truth
a description of
what
occurs (not why it occurs) supported by multiple experiments
Please read the article
HERE
to better understand the differences between these terms.
Example Situation:
I have asked a few friends to help me with a little experiment. I have asked them to put a white rose in a small vase filled almost to the top with water and add a few drops of blue food coloring. They are to make observations while the flower changes.
What has occurred?
We have put it in water and left it for a few hours.
When we came back we all had the same outcome. The flower had turned blue.
This is what we will call
Scientific law.
It is the happenings of a certain experiment. If you put a flower in colored water the flower will take on the color of the water. It simply says WHAT will happen.
But
why
did it occur?
My friends and I believe it is because the colored water is drawn up through the flower's stem.
This is what we call a
scientific theory.
It tries to explain WHY something occurs.
A scientific theory is not less true than a scientific law. However, a scientific law is a direct result of the results of the experiment. Since in order to become a scientific law it must be proven many times, it is unlikely that somehow new results will occur and a law will be disproved. However, a scientific theory is based on
interpretation
of experimental results. The results are not usually proven wrong, just the conclusions drawn from the observations. As new and different information becomes available we may realize that we did not draw the correct conclusion and we need to adjust our theory accordingly.
Just a Theory
When arguing against a scientific theory, like the theory of evolution, people will sometimes say, "but its just a theory." That means that they do not understand that scientific theories are the strongest explanations offered by science. Theories are not scientific laws "in training," like how bills can be ratified into laws. A scientific theory does not ever turn into a scientific law. Instead laws describe what happens, frequently with an equation, while theories explain why it happens. Theories are built on the work on many scientists who conduct many different experiments. Not all of these experiments have the same goal, but through their combined work theories are constantly revised.
Презентация по английскому языку _Научные открытия_.pptdomik011337
Science and motivation, what you want. When I was a kid I used to think that everything in life was possible, but now I dont think so. There are a lot of reasons to give up and to live. We, by ourselves decide our fate what to do and where. Once you start realising you are doing great, you wont be needing any more motivation or so. When I was a kid I had a dream to become an engineer, however I couldn't become one because of our school system. Youll say Im looking for reasons, but no. Our school really ruined everything in me.
What is science? Science, pseudoscience, non-scienceDennis Miller
Science plays a fundamental role in modern society. But what exactly is science? In philosophy this question is known as the demarcation problem (Popper, Kuhn, Laudan and others).
SCI 110Course
http://create.mcgraw-hill.com
Copyright by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights
reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as
permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part
of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form
or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system,
without prior written permission of the publisher.
This McGraw-Hill Create text may include materials submitted to
McGraw-Hill for publication by the instructor of this course.
The instructor is solely responsible for the editorial content of such
materials. Instructors retain copyright of these additional materials.
ISBN-10: ISBN-13:
2013
1121838936 9781121838932
Contents
1. The Scientific Method 1
2. Section for Chapter 1 27
3. Motion 29
4. Section for Chapter 2 65
5. Energy 68
6. Section for Chapter 3 97
iii
Credits
1. The Scientific Method: Chapter 1 from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 1
2. Section for Chapter 1: Chapter from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 27
3. Motion: Chapter 2 from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 29
4. Section for Chapter 2: Chapter from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 65
5. Energy: Chapter 3 from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 68
6. Section for Chapter 3: Chapter from The Physical Universe, 15th Edition by Krauskopf, Beiser, 2014 97
iv
Hell
I Sphe
re of the Moon
II Sphe
re of Mercury
III Sph
ere of Venus
IV Sph
ere of the Sun
V Spher
e of Mars
VI Spher
e of Jupiter
of SaturnVI
II Sph
ere of the fixed stars. The Zodiac
IX Cry
stalline sphere. Primum Mobile
VII Sphe
re
Purgatory
He
mis
pher
e
of
wa
ter
The D
ark
W
oo
d
Ai
r
Jerusalem
Earthly
Paradise
H
em
isphere
of Earth
Fire
Confirming Pages
1
1
How Scientists Study Nature
1.1 The Scientific Method
Four Steps
• What the scientific method is.
• The difference between a law and a
theory.
• The role of models in science.
1.2 Why Science Is Successful
Science Is a Living Body of Knowledge,
Not a Set of Frozen Ideas
• Why the scientific method is so success-
ful in understanding the natural world.
The Solar System
1.3 A Survey of the Sky
Everything Seems to Circle the North
Star
• Why Polaris seems almost stationary in
the sky.
• How to distinguish planets from stars
without a telescope.
1.4 The Ptolemaic System
The Earth as the Center of the Universe
• How the ptolemaic system explains the
astronomical universe.
1.5 The Copernican System
A Spinning Earth That Circles the Sun
• How the copernican system explains
the astronomical system.
1.6 Kepler’s Laws
How the Planets Actually Move
• The significance of Kepler’s laws.
1.7 Why Copernicus Was Right
Evidence Was Needed That Supported
His Model Wh.
The TermsMany terms mean different things in our common language a.docxgloriab9
The Terms
Many terms mean different things in our common language and in scientific language, which leads to misunderstandings about what they mean. This is especially true with terms like theory and law. The table below shows a few terms about scientific knowledge, defined in both our common language and scientific language.
Commonly Misunderstood Terms
Term
Common Definition
Scientific Definition
hypothesis
an educated guess
a
testable
explanation used to guide research
theory
an idea
a set of ideas supported by multiple experiments, done by multiple scientists that describe
why
something occurs
law
an absolute truth
a description of
what
occurs (not why it occurs) supported by multiple experiments
Please read the article
HERE
to better understand the differences between these terms.
Example Situation:
I have asked a few friends to help me with a little experiment. I have asked them to put a white rose in a small vase filled almost to the top with water and add a few drops of blue food coloring. They are to make observations while the flower changes.
What has occurred?
We have put it in water and left it for a few hours.
When we came back we all had the same outcome. The flower had turned blue.
This is what we will call
Scientific law.
It is the happenings of a certain experiment. If you put a flower in colored water the flower will take on the color of the water. It simply says WHAT will happen.
But
why
did it occur?
My friends and I believe it is because the colored water is drawn up through the flower's stem.
This is what we call a
scientific theory.
It tries to explain WHY something occurs.
A scientific theory is not less true than a scientific law. However, a scientific law is a direct result of the results of the experiment. Since in order to become a scientific law it must be proven many times, it is unlikely that somehow new results will occur and a law will be disproved. However, a scientific theory is based on
interpretation
of experimental results. The results are not usually proven wrong, just the conclusions drawn from the observations. As new and different information becomes available we may realize that we did not draw the correct conclusion and we need to adjust our theory accordingly.
Just a Theory
When arguing against a scientific theory, like the theory of evolution, people will sometimes say, "but its just a theory." That means that they do not understand that scientific theories are the strongest explanations offered by science. Theories are not scientific laws "in training," like how bills can be ratified into laws. A scientific theory does not ever turn into a scientific law. Instead laws describe what happens, frequently with an equation, while theories explain why it happens. Theories are built on the work on many scientists who conduct many different experiments. Not all of these experiments have the same goal, but through their combined work theories are constantly revised.
Презентация по английскому языку _Научные открытия_.pptdomik011337
Science and motivation, what you want. When I was a kid I used to think that everything in life was possible, but now I dont think so. There are a lot of reasons to give up and to live. We, by ourselves decide our fate what to do and where. Once you start realising you are doing great, you wont be needing any more motivation or so. When I was a kid I had a dream to become an engineer, however I couldn't become one because of our school system. Youll say Im looking for reasons, but no. Our school really ruined everything in me.
Can “discovery science” (for example, the discovery of a new species.pdfarjuncp10
Can “discovery science” (for example, the discovery of a new species of fossil, or a new species
of organism that is alive today) contribute to our understanding of evolution? Give examples.
Solution
Scientists seek natural causes for natural phenomena. This is the most basic description of what a
scientist aims to do every day. Their focus is limited to what they can physically observe and
measure directly, sometimes with the help of tools such as a microscope. They do not seek to
explain the supernatural as it is outside the bounds of science, but instead what is all around
them. There are basic methods of gaining knowledge that are common to all of science.
Biology uses discovery science , and hypothesis-based science . While discovery science is
mostly about describing nature, hypothesis-based science attempts to explain nature. The pair of
inquiries are widely used together in research. Observations that can be measured and verified
are the data of discovery science. In the study of life, discovery science is used to describe both
the simplest of life, and the most complex. From the building blocks of atoms and molecules all
the way up to the ecosystems and biosphere, discovery science describes it all. Discovery
science is based on the logic of inductive reasoning . Inductive reasoning uses numerous specific
observations to make a general statement.
For example: all living things are made of cells. This comes after the numerous discoveries of
cells in every specimen observed by biologists over two centuries. another example we can take
\"humans\". today we found most of the fossils of human lives who lived thousands of years
back and with help of that fossils we can understand growth and evolution human life..