Nature of Science

1. Nature of Science

2. Purpose of Science • Science is the pursuit of explanations of the natural world

3. Goal of Science • Improve our quality of life, sometimes dramatically, by learning more about your bodies, the world we live in and the universe beyond it.  • The individual purpose will change depending on the subject or branch of science • Biological science has different goals than astronomical science.

4. What Makes Science Special? • Characteristics of science • Tentative • Predictable • Observable • Testable • Falsifiable

5. Science is Tentative • Explanations (theories, hypotheses, laws) of the cause for the event are subject to change as evidence changes (new technology, new discovery, etc.) • Science is not concrete – explanations for phenomena change (the world was never flat, but people believe it was!)

6. Science is Tentative • Although science does change, it is also considered reliable. • One scientific information is generally accepted by the community it is more durable. • Because of the tentativeness of science, there is no “proof”. • Things are believed to be true based on the information we have now, but never proven.

7. Science is Predictable • Accurate predictions and conclusions are based on natural causes NOT on assumed information • Goal of science is to predict what will happen and explain why

8. Science is Observable • The event can be observed by the human senses, or in some cases by extensions of those senses (microscopes, satellites, telescopes, etc.)

9. Science is Testable • Controlled experiments can be designed to test the natural cause of the event

10. Science is Falsifiable • In order for an idea to be falsifiable it must have the potential to be shown to be wrong. In other words, if it is impossible to show that something is wrong, it isn’t falsifiable. • Science is not confirmatory – looking to prove you are right is easy, trying to prove you are wrong strengthens your idea. • Example: I believe all swans are white. To show I’m right it’s more feasible for me to try and find one black swan, not to find all swans and CONFRIM they are white.

11. Science is Different • Science is based on evidence, data and logical thought • Evidence & data are collected through observations from senses or extensions of those senses (telescopes, microscope, satellite)

12. Science Jargon • Observation • Inference • Hypothesis • Law • Theory • Fact • Most have different meanings in science than they do in common usage

13. Observation • An observation is something that you take in through your five senses (or in some cases an extension of those senses) • Five senses: • Hearing • Seeing • Smelling • Tasting • Touching

14. Inference • An inference is an opinion or statement that you can’t observe, but you believe to be true because of your observations • Example: I wake up in the morning and there are puddles on the street and drops of water on my car and window – those are my observations, which lead me to infer that it rained last night. I believe this to be true, although I NEVER saw, heard, smelled, tasted or touched it raining.

15. Hypothesis • Scientists tests hypotheses. • A hypothesis is a testable STATEMENT, NOT A QUESTION! • In this class, we will write hypotheses in an “If, then, because” manner. • You never “prove” hypotheses, they are either supported or not supported.

16. If, then, because • Hypotheses are written in this manner because it explains the what you are doing, a prediction of what you think will happen, and why you think what you do. • If ________, then_________, because_______. • If (I do this), then (this will happen), because (reasoning).

17. Example • I want to test the difference in bacteria growth between the boys’ and girls’ bathrooms. I believe there is more bacteria growing on the boy’s bathroom door than the girl’s bathroom door. • Wrong way to write the hypothesis: • Is there more bacteria growing on the boy’s bathroom door than the girl’s? • Right way to write the hypothesis: • If I test both the female and male bathrooms, then there will be more bacteria growth in the boy’s bathroom, because boys are inherently filthier than girls.

18. Law vs. Theory Law: • a statement of a natural pattern. • It is the “what happens” • Laws are generalizations of patterns seen • The “rules” of science Theory: • an explanation of why and/or how something is happening. • It is the “how and sometimes why it happens” • The “explanations” of rules

19. Law vs Theory • A law is a statement of a pattern. • A theory is an explanation for the pattern. • A THEORY WILL NEVER BECOME A LAW! • No matter what, a theory will never become a law – it is not a question of amount of evidence!

20. Name Calling: “Just a Theory” • Ideas are not referred to as “theories” in science unless they are supported by lots of evidence that make their abandonment and falsification very unlikely.

21. Facts in Science • A scientific fact is an observation that has been confirmed over and over again • However, observations can change with better technologies, or with better ways of looking at data. • A fact is much more susceptible to change than a theory. • Example: When I was in school I learned the fact that there were NINE planets. Now, scientists don’t consider Pluto a planet. FACTS CHANGE!

22. Scientific Method • There is not one way to do science – scientists do science in many different ways, but they usually include the same processes: • Identify the problem • Research the problem • Hypothesis • Experiment • Observe / Collect Data • Analyze and Draw Conclusions • Confirm / Repeat Results • Report Results SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES INSTEAD

23. Scientific Processes • Science involves being CREATIVE, imaginative & inventive. • There is NO SCIENTIFIC METHOD • This is more an explanation of how experiments are done.