Great Idea #1
“Science is a way of knowing
about the natural world, based
on reproducible observations,
experiments and theory.”
What is Science? An Overview
1.
Science as a way of knowing; how is it different from
other ways of knowing?
a. What is science?
b. Why is science important?
c. The syllabus
d. BlackBoard
e. i>Clickers
f. Branches of science
g. The sociology of science
2.
The idealized scientific method
a. The nature of scientific questions
b. The 4-step scientific method
c. Science as a social enterprise
3.
Great Idea #1A: The universe is regular, predictable,
quantifiable, and reproducible
Science as a way of knowing
 What do you do in a science class that’s
different from philosophy or dance class?
 Observations
 Measurements
 Experiments
 Calculations
 Reproducibility
 Epistemology – how we know what we
know. (The three umpires)
Science as a way of knowing
 “Science is the search for laws
that describe the organization
and evolution of the universe.”
 Most of the really important
questions cannot be answered
by science, but science can
help inform your decisions.
Other Ways of Knowing
 Art
 A personal vision (Picasso story)
In art, each person brings his/her own truth.
Other Ways of Knowing
 Art
 Political Science
Other Ways of Knowing
 Art
 Political Science
 Religion
 Truth from revelation or sacred texts
 Not in conflict with science
Pseudoscience
 Pseudoscience
 Often based on belief, dogma
 Ideas are not testable
Pseudoscience
 Pseudoscience
 Often based on belief, dogma
 Ideas are not testable
 Evaluation of a claim
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Are the ‘facts’ true as stated?
Is there an alternative explanation?
Is the claim falsifiable?
Has the claim been tested?
Does the claim require
unreasonable changes in
accepted ideas?
Who Built Stonehenge?
Who Built Stonehenge?
Why is Science important?
 Scientific principles are all around us, all
the time (look at today’s newspaper!).
 You’ll need science in your life:
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As a professional (medicine, law, business)
As a consumer
As a parent
As a human being
The Structure of Science
 Disciplines
 Historical (natural philosophy)
 Modern (branches of science)
 Different Approaches
 Field researchers
 Experimentalists
 Theorists
Branches of Science – Physics
The study of matter in motion
 Classical Physics
 Mechanics
 Gravity
 Thermodynamics
 Electricity and magnetism
 Modern Physics
 Nuclear & particle physics
 Quantum mechanics
 Relativity
Branches of Science - Chemistry
 The study of atoms and their interactions
 Materials science
 Organic chemistry (carbon)
 Inorganic chemistry
Branches of Science –
Earth Science
Study of the origin of Earth, its
present state, the dynamics of
Earth and other planets
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Geology (rocks)
Geophysics (interior)
Oceanography (oceans)
Meteorology (atmosphere)
Branches of Science –
Life Sciences (Biology)
 The study of living systems
(at many scales)
 Molecules
 Cells
 Organs
 Organisms
 Behavior
 Ecosystems
Hierarchy of Sciences
Physics
Chemistry
Earth Science
Life Sciences
Mathematics:
The Language of Science
 Description of a tree
 General
 Poetic
 Scientific
 Mathematical
 Size, height, diameter
 Value of lumber
The Role of Math in Science
Linear Relationships
Source: http://permanite.net/IRL/graph2.jpg
The Role of Math in Science
 Linear Relationships
Source: http://permanite.net/IRL/graph2.jpg
Distance vs. Time of Fall
 Quadratic Relationships
Science Organizations
 AAAS = American Association for the
Advancement of Science
 Sigma Xi
 The National Academies
 Federal Funding Agencies:
 NIH = National Institutes of Health
 NASA = National Aeronautic and Space
Administration
 NSF = National Science Foundation
 DOD = Department of Defense
 DOE = Department of Energy
Federal Spending for R & D
Scientific Activities
 Research
 Publications (peer review)
 Conferences
 Grants
 Education
 Government policy
 Business (R & D)
Scientific Questions
1. Many important questions are
beyond science
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The meaning of life?
Is there a God?
Personal choices?
“Science is the art of substituting
unimportant questions, which can be
answered, for important question,
which cannot.” Kenneth Boulding
Scientific Questions
2. Scientific questions are varied in style
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Existence questions: What’s out there?
Origin questions: How did they get
there?
Process questions: How does it work?
Applied Questions: How can we use it?
Scientific Questions (continued)
3. Answers to old questions often lead to
new questions:
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“To know anything well involves a profound
sense of ignorance” John Ruskin
X-rays, tectonic plates, genetic code,
buckeyballs
SETI
Scientific Questions (continued)
4. Scientific questions are often
interconnected:
+ Plate tectonics/evolution
+ Mass extinction/climate change
5. Some questions are not now
scientific, but will be someday
+ Cosmology in 1908
+ Consciousness today
Scientific Questions (continued)
6. Most scientific questions cannot be
answered completely:
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Experimental error
Uncertainty principle
Chaos
Speed of light
The Idealized Scientific Method
Periodic Table of Elements
Dimitri Mendelev (1834-1907)
Periodic Table of Elements
A Hierarchy
of Scientific Ideas
 Fact (a confirmed observation)
 Hypothesis (an educated guess)
 Law (a predictive mathematical
description of nature)
 Theory (a well established
explanation of nature)
What Motivates Scientists?
(How do scientists measure success?)
PERSONAL MOTIVES
 Curiosity
 Teaching & inspiring others
 Peer recognition (publications, grants, awards)
 Financial gain
 Power and prestige
Scientific fraud: Can you trust scientists?
Dr. Albert Carl Koch
Mastodon
Source:
http://www.nature.ca/exhibits/popups/images/mastodon.jpg
Source:
http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/fossils/ima
ges/mastodon-melli.jpg
Missouri Leviathan
Basilosaurus
Source:
http://www.mheine.com/jpeg/basilo.jpg
Albert Karl Koch’s Sea-Serpent
The Nature of Science
 Science works to defeat fraud and error
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Bones = Data & observations
Assembled Skeletons = Hypothesis
Similar type bones = Prediction
Germans put together properly = Re-test
 Science is self-correcting because new
discoveries will be tested
The universe is regular,
predictable, quantifiable,
and reproducible
 What evidence might you offer that
this statement is true?
 What about 5,000 years ago?