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16 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Many different definitions of science were given in the first several slides of lecture 1. Be able to list the 5 characteristics that they have in common. (Slide 9)
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* The universe is real and it's behavior has regular patterns ("laws") that can be studied.
* Science is a method of learning about the universe and its behavior. * Science is a collection of facts about the universe and how it behaves * Science is a collection of theories that have predictive power concerning how the universe will behave in the future. * Science is progressive; it models the universe and its behavior more and more accurately over time. |
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As a member of the Challenger disaster inquiry panel, what simple experiment did physicist Richard Feynman perform to show that O-rings shrink at cold temperatures?
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Asked for a glass of ice-water, measured an O-rings diameter, dropped it in the water, left it there for a period of time, took it out of the water and again measured the diameter of the O-ring.
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Be able to draw out the steps of the scientific method. (Slide 13)
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* Ask a Question
* Do Background Research * Construct Hypothesis * Test with an Experiment * Analyze Results & Draw Conclusion * Hypothesis is supported * Hypothesis is false or partially true. * Next step may be to construct new hypothesis and repeat the process * Report Results |
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How do I define the scientific method? (Slide 13)
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The scientific method is a way of learning about the universe that uncovers scientific facts and helps scientists build better theories.
- Begins with observation about the world & it's behavior. - Develops testable hypotheses that might explain the observations - Systematically eliminate hypotheses through careful experimentation - Takes no prisoners |
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Be able to define what a “scientific fact” is and be able to write out a known scientific fact. Also be able to distinguish between a fact and a theory.
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- Scientific facts are statements about the universe and it's behavior that seem irrefutable at the time they are accepted as such.
- They are discovered through a process of careful and reproducible observations and/or experiments that stand the test of time. - Example: Earth is a sphere, not flat. |
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What observation led early sailors to wonder if the Earth might not be flat?
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- Tops of mountains & buildings came into view above the horizon before objects nearer to the ground.
- Mariners sailed all the way around the globe, always going in one direction. |
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How did Newton’s Law of Gravity help explain how a spherical Earth could “work” (in a practical sense)?
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Newton's Law of Gravity helped explain why people in the southern hemisphere didn't fall off the planet if it was round. It basically said that everything is attracted to the center core of the universe, which means that the attraction is the same regardless of where on the planet you are.
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What is the most compelling current scientific evidence that the Earth is a sphere?
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We've photographed it from space.
We've orbited around it in space ships. |
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Do theories ever become facts? How?
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Yes... when the evidence supporting them becomes so overwhelming that to refute them is basically absurd
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What are the differences between scientific theories and scientific hypotheses?
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Theories are much broader in scope than a hypothesis... is general enough to spin off many new specific hypotheses that can be tested
Generally supported by a much more massive body of evidence. |
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Be able to give an example of a scientific hypothesis.
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"Evolutionary adaptations evolve by natural selection."
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Are all theories equally valid? Explain.
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All theories are NOT equally valid. Good theories explain all (or most) of the facts and make testable predictions that are borne out by experimentation.
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Be able to articulate how science changes in a directed manner.
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A better theory is one that explains more facts and have more predictive power than the former theory.
If a new theory is "better" than an existing theory, it is adapted. Overtime, theories can improve / be replaced by better theories... into the direction of explaining more and having more predictive power. We never adapt a theory that explains less or has less predictive power. |
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How did Redi contribute to disproving the theory of abiogenesis? Be able to draw out and explain his experiment.
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Three variations in the experiment:
- Unsealed - Flies & maggots on meat - Sealed - No maggots on meat ... no flies - Gauze - Few maggots on guaze - no flies |
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How did Spallenzani contribute to disproving the theory of abiogenesis? Be able to draw out and explain his experiment.
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Two variations in his experiment
- Heated broth to kill existing microbes, left it open, waited and observed growth. - Heated broth, sealed it, waited, no growth, opened it, observed growth |
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How did Pasteur contribute to disproving the theory of abiogenesis? Be able to draw out and explain his experiment.
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Two variations to his experiment:
- Boil broth in S-shaped flasks > Wait > No Growth - Boil broth in S-shaped flasks > Wait > No Growth > Break Stem > Wait > Growth |
