Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Module 1 - Nature of Science

Module 1 – Nature of Science

Science
-    systematic study of nature
-    from the Latin “to know”
-    is a process of inquiry that includes repeatable observations and testable hypothesis
-    is a way of thinking and a method of investigation the natural world in systematic manner

Critical Thinking
-    judging information before accepting it

Types of Science
 Physics – study of the laws of the Universe that govern matter, energy, space and time.
Chemistry – deals with matter at the macromolecular scale observing its reactions, transformations and combinations
Astronomy – study of celestial objects
Geology – study of the Earth
Microbiology - study of microscopic organisms
Psychology – study of behavior and mental processes
Oceanography – study of how the ocean works.
Ecology – study of the biota and the environment and their interactions.
Botany – study of plants

Scope and Limits of Science
1.    only that which is observable
2.    does not answer subjective questions i.e. “Why do I exist?”
3.    Does not address the supernatural or anything that is “beyond nature”
4.    Reductionism

Scientist use two types of systematic thought processes
1. Deduction – begin with supplied information (premise)
    - proceeds from general principles to specific conclusions
    - helps us discover relationships among known facts.
Fact – info or knowledge based on evidence

2. Induction – opposite of deduction
    - begin with specific observations and draw a conclusion or discover a general principle

Scientific Method
1.    Observation
2.    Question
3.    Hypothesis
4.    Predictions
5.    Test/Experiment
6.    Conclusion

Hypothesis – tentative answer to some questions
-    educated guess
-    testable statement

Prediction – deductive logical consequence of a hypothesis

Sampling error – is a difference between results from a subset and results from the whole

Theory – is an integrated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that is based on a number of hypothesis, each supported by consistent results from many observations or experiments.

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