1. Great Idea #1
“Science is a way of knowing about the natural world, based on reproducible observations, experiments and theory.”

2. What is Science? An Overview
1. Science as a way of knowing
a. What is science and why is it important?
b. How is science different from other ways
of knowing?
c. The syllabus, Blackboard, and i>Clickers
d. The four major branches of science
2. The idealized scientific method
a. The nature of scientific questions
b. The 4-step scientific method
Great Idea #1A: The universe is regular, predictable, quantifiable, and reproducible

3. Science as a way of knowing
What do you do in a science class that’s different from philosophy or dance class?
Make observations
Take measurements
Design and conduct experiments
Perform calculations
Ensure reproducibility
Epistemology – “how we know what we know.” (The three umpires story)

4. 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.

5. 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)

6. Other Ways of Knowing
Art represents a personal vision (the story of Pablo Picasso on a train).
In art, each person brings his/her own truth.

7. Other Ways of Knowing
Political Science: different people use the same facts to arrive at different conclusions.

8. Other Ways of Knowing
Religion: Truth comes from revelation or sacred texts.
Most theologians do not see a conflict with science, because the questions are different.

9. Pseudoscience Pseudoscience differs from science:
It’s often based on belief, dogma
It’s ideas are not testable.

10. Pseudoscience Evaluation of a claim: Are the ‘facts’ true as stated?
Pseudoscience differs from science:
It’s often based on belief, dogma
It’s ideas are not testable.
Evaluation of a claim:
Are the ‘facts’ true as stated?
Is there an alternative explanation?
Is the claim falsifiable?
Does the claim require unreasonable changes in accepted ideas?

11. Who Built Stonehenge?

12. Who Built Stonehenge?

13. 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:
As a professional (medicine, law, business)

14. 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:
As a professional (medicine, law, business)
As a consumer

15. 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:
As a professional (medicine, law, business)
As a consumer
As a parent

16. 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:
As a professional (medicine, law, business)
As a consumer
As a parent
As a human being

17. Science plays important roles in our daily lives.
Someday soon you or someone in your family will have a genetic test.
Science plays important roles in our daily lives.

18. Syllabus & Contact Information
Office: East Building 202
Hours: Mondays 3:00-4:00pm
Phone:
Brittany Shamenek:
4 Exams (100 points each; top 3 count)
Final Exam (300 points)
i>Clicker questions (25 points each class max;
250 points maximum this semester)
Museum visits, lectures, field trips (115 points)
Special bonus opportunities!!! (40 points)

19. i>Clickers What is an i>Clicker How it works
Practice question and graph
Grading policy
6 questions per class
Two questions: automatic 3 points
Four questions: 6 points or 1 point
25 points maximum per class
250 points maximum for semester
Honor code

20. i>Clicker Practice Question
Turn on your personal i>clicker
How many i>Clicker points can you get per class?
A. 10
B. 15
C. 20
D. 25
E. 30

21. The Structure of Science
Science is divided into disciplines
Historical (natural philosophy)
Modern (branches of science)
Different Approaches
Field researchers
Experimentalists
Theorists

22. 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

23. Branches of Science - Chemistry
The study of atoms and their interactions
Materials science
Organic chemistry (carbon)
Inorganic chemistry

24. Branches of Science – Earth Science
Study of the origin of Earth, its present state, the dynamics of Earth and other planets
Geology (rocks)
Geophysics (interior)
Oceanography (oceans)
Meteorology (atmosphere)

25. Branches of Science – Life Sciences (Biology)
The study of living systems (at many scales)
Molecules
Cells
Organs
Organisms
Behavior
Ecosystems

26. Hierarchy of Sciences
Physics
Chemistry
Life Sciences
Earth Science

27. Mathematics: “The Language of Science”
How to describe a tree?
Using words:
Poetic
Scientific
Mathematical
Size, height, diameter
Value of lumber

28. The Role of Math in Science
Linear Relationships
Source:

29. The Role of Math in Science
Linear Relationships
Source:

30. Distance vs. Time of Fall
Quadratic Relationships

31. 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

32. Federal Spending for R & D

33. Scientific Activities
Research
Publications (peer review)
Conferences
Grants
Education
Government policy
Business (R & D)

34. Scientific Questions Many important questions are beyond science
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

35. Scientific Questions 2. Scientific questions are varied in style:
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?

36. Scientific Questions (continued)
Answers to old questions often lead to new questions:
“To know anything well involves a profound sense of ignorance” John Ruskin
X-rays, tectonic plates, genetic code, buckeyballs
SETI

37. Scientific Questions 4. Scientific questions are often interconnected:
+ Plate tectonics/evolution
+ Mass extinction/climate change

38. Scientific Questions
5. Some questions are not now scientific, but will be someday:
+ Cosmology in 1908
+ Consciousness today

39. Scientific Questions
Most scientific questions cannot be answered completely:
Experimental error
Uncertainty principle
Chaos
Speed of light

40. The Idealized Scientific Method

41. Periodic Table of Elements
Dimitri Mendelev ( )

42. Periodic Table of Elements

43. 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)

44. What Motivates Scientists? (How do scientists measure success?)
Curiosity
Teaching & inspiring others
Peer recognition (publications, grants, awards)
Financial gain
Power and prestige
Scientific fraud: Can you trust scientists?

45. Dr. Albert Carl Koch

46. Mastodon
Source:
Source:

47. Missouri Leviathan

48. Basilosaurus
Source:

49. Albert Karl Koch’s Sea-Serpent

50. The Nature of Science Science works to defeat fraud and error
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.
FACTS MATTER!

51. The universe is regular, predictable, quantifiable, and reproducible.
What evidence might you offer that this statement is true?
What about 5,000 years ago?