1. Bell Ringer To what extent is science socially & culturally embedded? Provide an example.

2. Bell Work What is the difference between a theory and a law?

3. Myth #1: There is no gravity in space! There is a lot of gravity in space. The reason that astronauts appear to be weightless because they are orbiting the earth. They are falling towards the earth but moving sufficiently sideways to miss it. When a shuttle reaches orbit height (around 250 miles above the earth), gravity is reduced by only 10%.

4. Myth #2: Lightning never strikes the same place twice! Lightning does strike the same place twice – in fact it is very common. In a large field, the tallest object is likely to be struck multiple times until the lightning moves sufficiently far away to find a new target. The Empire State Building gets struck around 25 times a year.

5. Myth #3: There is a dark side of the moon. Every part of the moon is illuminated at sometime by the sun. This misconception has come about because there is a side of the moon which is never visible to the earth. This is due to the fact that Earth’s gravitational pull on the moon is so immense that it can only show one face to us.

6. Myth #4: Five Second Rule! If there is bacteria on the floor and the food lands on it, they will immediately stick to the food.

7. Myth #5: A penny dropped from a very high building can kill a pedestrian below The aerodynamics of a penny are not sufficient to make it dangerous. What would happen in reality is that the person who gets hit would feel a sting – but they would certainly survive the impact.

9. Myth #1: Hypotheses become theories which become laws Let’s hash this out! Correction: Hypotheses can become theories, but theories can not be laws!

10. Hypothesis  An educated inference that explains an observation; based on existing scientific knowledge

11. Theory  Summarizes a hypothesis (or hypotheses) that explain how nature works  Has been supported with repeated testing.  Is valid as long as there is no evidence to dispute it.

12. Examples  Theory of Evolution  Atomic Theory  Germ Theory  Cell Theory

13. Law  Generalizes a body of observations that describe a natural phenomenon.  Describes (often a mathematical) what nature does under certain conditions in nature.  At the time it is made, no exceptions have been found to a law.

14. Examples  Newton’s Laws of Motion  Conservation of Mass and Energy  Boyle’s law of Gases  Law of Segregation  Law of Independent Assortment

15.  Ie: Newton's Law of Gravity. Law describes the behavior of a dropped object No accepted theory exists to explain why it happens  Ie. Law of Thermodynamics Law describes what will happen under certain circumstances Thermodynamics theories explain why these events occur.

16. Myth #2: A Universal Scientific Method exists!  No research method is applied universally  Problems are approached and solved with imagination, creativity, and prior knowledge Correction: A universal scientific method does not exist!

17. Myth #3: Science provides absolute proof and can answer all ?s  Evidence provides support for a theory or law but will never prove them to be true Correction: Science does not provide absolute proof!

18. No Proof in Science!  Empirical evidence is collected in the process of induction  Induction= generalizations of observations and research that lead to predictions  Problem w/ Induction= it’s impossible to make all observations about a situation & to know that the facts will stay relevant over time

19. If we have a law that states that all swans are white, the law can be supported but not proved. Finding just one black swan calls the law into question.

20. Proof in Science  No 'proof' or absolute 'truth' in science.  The closest we get are facts, which are indisputable observations.  To prove something implies that it can never be wrong

21. Myth #3 cont.- Science can answer all ?s  Science can not answer moral, ethical, and social issues outside the realm of scientific inquiry Correction: Science can not answer all ?s

22. Myth #4: Science is all procedural & experiments result in scientific knowledge  A theory/law may be proposed w/o a procedural method.  If everyone followed the scientific method, two researchers would view the same facts and find identical conclusions. Correction: Science is not all procedural & involves a lot of creativity

23. Myth #4 cont.- Experiments are the only route to scientific knowledge  True experimentation is difficult (not always possible to control every variable)  Many discoveries are based on extensive observation, analysis, and speculation vs. experiments Correction: Experiments are not the only route to scientific knowledge

24. Myth #5 Science is objective & all science is reviewed  3 reasons objectivity is impossible: 1. Scientists aren’t actively searching for disconfirming evidence 2. Scientists have preconceptions & biases about the way the world operates (subconscious views affect observations). 3. Research is limited (investigation & discussion can be limited) Correction: Science is not purely objective!

25. Myth #5 cont.- All work in science is reviewed  Established checks & balance but scientists are busy (w/ personal research or funds are limited for extensive review)  Constant push for new info. rather than reproduction of others’ work  Negative results are rarely published Correction: Not all science is properly reviewed!