What Is Science?

What is Science? Dana Desonie, Ph.D. Say Thanks to the Authors Click http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (No sign in required) AUTHOR Dana Desonie, Ph.D. To access a customizable version of this book, as well as other interactive content, visit www.ck12.org CK-12 Foundation is a non-profit organization with a mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the FlexBook®, CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high-quality educational content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an adaptive environment for learning, powered through the FlexBook Platform®. Copyright © 2014 CK-12 Foundation, www.ck12.org The names “CK-12” and “CK12” and associated logos and the terms “FlexBook®” and “FlexBook Platform®” (collectively “CK-12 Marks”) are trademarks and service marks of CK-12 Foundation and are protected by federal, state, and international laws. Any form of reproduction of this book in any format or medium, in whole or in sections must include the referral attribution link http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (placed in a visible location) in addition to the following terms. Except as otherwise noted, all CK-12 Content (including CK-12 Curriculum Material) is made available to Users in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC 3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/3.0/), as amended and updated by Creative Com- mons from time to time (the “CC License”), which is incorporated herein by this reference. Complete terms can be found at http://www.ck12.org/terms. Printed: October 29, 2014 www.ck12.org Chapter 1. What is Science? CHAPTER 1 What is Science? CHAPTER OUTLINE 1.1 Scientific Explanations and Interpretations 1.2 Scientific Method 1.3 Development of Hypotheses 1.4 Testing Hypotheses 1.5 Correlation and Causation 1.6 Observations and Experiments 1.7 Development of Theories 1.8 Scientific Models 1.9 Scientific Community 1.10 Branches of Earth Science 1.11 Earth Science Field Work 1.12 Principle of Uniformitarianism 1.13 Location on the Earth 1.14 Direction on the Earth 1.15 Elevation on the Earth 1.16 Maps 1.17 Map Projections 1.18 Topographic and Geologic Maps 1.19 Seafloor 1.20 Study of Space by the Electromagnetic Spectrum 1.21 Telescopes 1.22 Satellites, Shuttles, and Space Stations 1.23 References 1 www.ck12.org Introduction How is science different from other ways of understanding the world? If someone asks you, “What is science?” you might say that it’s a bunch of facts and explanations. But that’s only part of the story. Science is a knowledge base. But science is also a way of learning about the world. Earth science is about our planet and its environments. Earth scientists study Earth’s surface and interior. They study why volcanoes erupt and why some places are mountainous and some are entirely flat. Some Earth scientists are interested in the weather. Others want to know about the oceans. There are even Earth scientists who apply what they know about Earth to learning about space. Some Earth scientists do a lot of their work in the field, as seen above. 2 www.ck12.org Chapter 1. What is Science? 1.1 Scientific Explanations and Interpretations • Define science. • Identify and define facts, explanations, and opinions. • Distinguish between facts and opinions. What is a fact? Science is different from other ways of thinking. It is based on facts. Gravity is a fact. If you let go of a ball, it will fall to the ground. Can you tell a fact from an opinion? Can you tell when an idea follows logically from a fact? Basing ideas on facts is essential to good science. Facts, Observations, Opinions Science is a set of facts, and it is also a set of explanations that are based on those facts. Science relies on facts to explain the natural world. Scientists usually begin an investigation with facts. A fact is a bit of information that is true. Facts come from data collected from observations. Facts can also come from experiments that have been run. Data is factual information that results from an investigation. Facts and data are not subject to opinion or bias. An opinion is someone’s subjective view or position on a subject. What is a fact? Look at the following list. Identify if the statement is (1) a fact (from observation or prior experiments), (2) an opinion, or (3) a combination. 1. Susan ( Figure 1.1) has black hair. 2. Susan is sneezing. She has a cold. 3. Colds are caused by viruses. 4. Echinacea is an herb that prevents colds. 3 1.1. Scientific Explanations and Interpretations www.ck12.org FIGURE 1.1 Can you be sure from the photo that Susan has a cold? 5. Bill Gates is the smartest man in the United States. 6. People born under the astrological sign Leo are fiery, self-assured, and charming. 7. Average global temperature has risen since 1900. An Analysis The following is an analysis of the statements above: 1. This is a fact. The fact comes from observation. 2. The first sentence is a fact from observation. The woman is sneezing. The second sentence is an opinion. She might have a cold, or she might have allergies or the flu. Tests could be done to see what is causing her illness. This opinion could become fact if the tests show that she actually has a cold, or it could be proven wrong. 3. This is a fact. Many, many scientific experiments have shown that colds are caused by viruses. 4. This statement sounds like a fact. However, the scientific evidence is mixed. One reputable study published in 2007 showed a decrease in colds of 58% in people who used echinacea. Several other studies have shown no beneficial effect. 5. Bill Gates is the wealthiest man in the United States; that’s a fact. However, there’s no evidence that he’s also the smartest man; this is an opinion. 6. This sounds like a fact, but it is not. There must be data to support the statement. How would you test it? Gather together a large number of subjects, each with a friend. Have the friends fill out a questionnaire describing the subject. Match the traits against the person’s astrological sign. Do the astrological predictions fit? Are Leos actually more fiery, self-assured, and charming? Tests like this have not supported the claims of astrologers. However, astrologers have not modified their opinions. 7. This is a fact. The following graph shows the temperature anomaly since 1880 ( Figure 1.2). There’s no doubt that average global temperature has risen since 1880. The largest rise has been since the late 1970s. Vocabulary • data: Facts that have been uncovered scientifically by systematic observations or experiments. • fact: Information that is true. • science: Knowledge about the natural world gathered systematically. Summary • Facts are true. Data, gathered correctly, is factual. Facts and data are not subject to opinion or bias. • Facts can be determined by observations or experiments. • Some statements that appear to be facts are not. 4 www.ck12.org Chapter 1. What is Science? FIGURE 1.2 Global average annual temperatures are rising. This graph shows temperature anomaly relative to the 1951-1980 average (the average is made to be 0). The green bars show uncertainty. • All scientific explanations and interpretations are based on facts. Explore More Use this resource to answer the questions that follow. • What is Science? at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd_YMeyh98s (7:25) MEDIA Click image to the left for use the URL below. URL: http://gamma.ck12.org/flx/render/embeddedobject/58928 1. How do we use science every day? 2. What is science? 3. What is the scientific process? 4. Define science. 5. What are the rules of science? Explore More Answers 1. We build a view of the world by using our senses to perceive it. We put these views together and create an explanation of reality. 2. Mankind’s systematic attempt to describe reality. 3. Use observations to gather facts that can be used to create an explanation of reality. 4. Science is an ongoing, collective, systematic way of understanding reality. 5. All scientific claims must be backed up with verifiable evidence or else be dismissed. 5 1.1. Scientific Explanations and Interpretations www.ck12.org Review 1. What is a fact? What is data? What is an opinion? How can you tell them apart? 2. Why are facts and data important to science? 3. How might a fact be disproved? Are there some facts that will never be disproved? Review Answers 1. A fact is a bit of information that is true. Data is factual information that results from an investigation. An opinion is someone’s subjective view or position on a subject. Facts and data are objective, but an opinion will be subjective. 2. All science is based on facts and data. Science is not based on belief or opinion. In order to be useful to science, information must be true. This makes science different from other ways of perceiving the world. 3. A fact may turn out not to be true in some circumstances; e.g. in the world of subatomic particles. This doesn’t mean that the fact is not true; it just must be qualified. A fact may be untrue if it was observed incorrectly or if newer information becomes available.

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