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This document provides an overview of science, including: 1) It discusses what science is, from its origins in ancient civilizations making observations to develop explanations, to the modern scientific method developed in the 16th century. 2) It defines key scientific concepts like facts, hypotheses, laws, theories, and models. Hypotheses are educated guesses that can be tested, laws describe relationships between measurable quantities, and theories synthesize large bodies of evidence. 3) It distinguishes science from technology, art, and religion - science seeks theoretical explanations through observation, technology applies science practically, while art and religion concern human experiences and meaning/purpose.

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19 views23 pages

1 +ChapterAboutScience

This document provides an overview of science, including: 1) It discusses what science is, from its origins in ancient civilizations making observations to develop explanations, to the modern scientific method developed in the 16th century. 2) It defines key scientific concepts like facts, hypotheses, laws, theories, and models. Hypotheses are educated guesses that can be tested, laws describe relationships between measurable quantities, and theories synthesize large bodies of evidence. 3) It distinguishes science from technology, art, and religion - science seeks theoretical explanations through observation, technology applies science practically, while art and religion concern human experiences and meaning/purpose.

Uploaded by

mbangesibabalwe03
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Hewitt

Chapter 1
About Science
Objectives
• Physics is the Basic Science
• Scientific Method
• Observation, Facts, Hypothesis, Laws,
Principles,Theories and Models
• Science and Technology
• Science and Religion
How old is Science?
• Begin before recorded history
• Humans curious about they environment and
sought explanations for the way in which their
environment behaved.
– Star patterns in the night sky
– The patterns of the seasons
– Making predictions about environment gave them
control over it
A Brief History of Science
• Ancient civilizations. For example the Egyptian
civilization.
• Greeks 3rd and 4th centuries BC. Known figures from
that time – Aristotle and Pythagaros.
• During the Dark Ages Chinese charted the stars
and planets while Arab nations developed
mathematics and learned how to make glass and
paper.
• Science as we know it today was developed during
the sixteenth century and was advance by the
printing press (15th century).
What is Science?
• Science is the study of nature’s rules
• Many different branches
– Life Sciences - study of living things
• Botany
• Zoology
– Physical Sciences - study of non-living things
• Geology
• Chemistry
• Astronomy
• Physics
What Science is? (cont.)
• Science is more than a body of
knowledge.
• It is also a method of exploring nature
and discovering the order within nature,
i.e. the rules that governs it.
• Science is also a tool for solving
problems.
The Basic Science – Physics
• Study of how matter and energy interact
• Studies motion, forces, energy, matter, heat,
sound, light, and composition of atoms
• Forms the basis for all other sciences
• Once things get small enough, chemistry
essentially becomes physics
• Much of biology is nomenclature and organic
chemistry
• Thus, biology builds on chemistry, while
chemistry builds on physics!
Inferences & Observations

An observation is the awareness of


some condition; inference is the result
of a mental process which attempts to
explain or catalog or speculate about
that observation.
Inferences & Observations
• The colors, smells that you may come across
are directly observed and they can be
classified as observations.
• When you do something with that
observation, like draw a conclusion or offer
an explanation or decide that a chemical
reaction occurred, then you are making an
inference.
• The inference may or may not be a correct
one. Correctness is not what makes the
difference between observation and
inference.
Scientific Method
• A way science gets done
• A method to gain, organize, and apply
new knowledge
• Its been around for a while…
• Principal founders of method
– Galileo Galilei (1564 - 1642)
– Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)
Scientific Method
1. Recognize a problem
2. Make a guess about a solution – called a
hypothesis
3. Predict the consequences of the
hypothesis
4. Perform experiments to test the
predictions
5. Formulate the simplest general rule that
organizes the problem, the hypothesis, and
the experimental results
Scientific Attitude
• Not all discoveries were the result of
following the scientific method
• Trial and error, experiments without
guessing, accidental discovery
• Attitude helps in discovery
– Inquiry
– Experimentation
– Humility
Basic Scientific Terms
• Fact
– When several qualified observers agree
with the same phenomenon
– They are not absolute (things that were
“facts” long ago have been proven wrong
now!)
– Over time, facts may take on different
significances …
Basic Scientific Terms (cont.)
• Hypothesis
– An educated guess as to the outcome
– Not a fact
– Must have a test for wrongness (i.e.
falsifiable)
– After tested by many scientists, a
hypothesis may become a Law or Principle
– They are changed or abandoned if
contradicted by experimental evidence
Examples of Hypotheses
– Atoms are the smallest particles of matter
that exist. This is a scientific hypothesis
because it is testable.
– Outer space contains a kind of matter whose
existence can’t be detected or tested. This is
not a scientific hypothesis because it cannot
be tested.
– The Pope of the Roman Catholic church is the
holiest man on earth. This is not a scientific
hypothesis because its an assertion that has
no test (opinion).
Basic Scientific Terms (cont.)
• Law or Principle
– When a hypothesis is tested repeatedly by
many different scientists with the same
outcome
– May be changed if the right evidence is
found to prove to the contrary
– Is a description of the relationship
between the quantities associated with
observations which can be measured
Examples of Laws and Principles
– Newton’s laws of motion.
Describe how the motion of a body is related
to the force that produces that motion. These
laws can be used to predict and explain the
motion of a body to which a known force is
applied.
– Coulomb’s law
Describes the electrostatic force between
stationary point charges. This law can be used
to predict and explain the electrostatic
interactions between charges.
Basic Scientific Terms (cont.)
• Theory
– A synthesis of a large body of information
that encompasses well-tested and verified
hypotheses, laws and/or principles about
certain aspects of the natural world
(atomic theory, cell theory)
– Can be refined as new information is
obtained
Basic Scientific Terms (cont.)
• Models
– Models are similar to theories but are
limited to explaining specific aspects of the
natural world (Bohr’s planetary model of
the atom)
– Models are particular representations of
phenomena in order to explain it better.
– Can be refined as new information is
obtained
Science and Technology
• Science is a method of answering
theoretical questions
• Technology is a method of solving
practical problems
• Science seeks to explain how
• Technology is the application of science
Science, Art, Religion
• Science – the discovering and recording
of natural phenomenon
• Art – the study and appreciation of the
value of human interactions as they
pertain to the senses
• Religion – study of the source, purpose
and meaning of everything
Something to Think About
• Is science absolute?
• Is technology good or bad for us?
• Do your think you should be aware
of the issues of science and
technology and how it can effect
your life?

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