Introduction to HONORS 227 & Science as a Way of Knowing

1. Introduction to HONORS 227& Science as a Way of Knowing Dr. Harold Geller Dr. George Taylor George Mason University

2. Chapter 1 and Other Stuff • The Syllabus • Grading • Laboratory Work • A Personal Response System (iClickers) • Science as a Way of Knowing • Units of length, mass and time • Metric Prefixes

3. Science: A Way of Knowing Chapter 1 Great Idea: Science is a way of asking and answering questions about the physical universe

4. Chapter Outline • The Role of Science • The Scientific Method • Other Ways of Knowing • The Organization of Science

5. The Role of Science

6. The Role of Science • Making Choices • Ask questions, make observations, form conclusions • Applied in a more formal, quantitative way equals science

7. Why Study Science? • Most powerful tool for understanding • Incorporates basic ideas and theories • Provides framework for new questions • Provides unparalleled view of order and symmetry of the universe and its workings

8. The Scientific Methodalso known asThe Process of Doing Science

9. Observation • History • Greek Philosophers • Middle Ages • Observation • no manipulation • Experiment • manipulation

10. Identifying Patterns and Regularities • Measurement-better description • Data-table or graph • Patterns emerge • Describe: • In words • In equation form • In symbols

11. Mathematics: The Language of Science • Description • General • Mathematical • Mathematics • Equation • Description

12. Prediction and Testing • Predictions • Hypothesis, Theory, Law • Must be quantitatively testable • Testing • Do not prove or disprove • Define range of validity • Every law and theory of nature is subject to change, based on new observations

13. The Scientific Method in Operation • Cycle • Not rigid • Believe results • No preconceptions • No true starting place • Results must be reproducible • Cycle is continuous

14. Other Ways of Knowing

15. Different Kinds of Questions • Cannot always use scientific method • Art • Can use science to address age of painting • Not for style of painting • Not for beauty, etc. • Religion • Faith vs. experiment • Not a conflict between science & religion when kept in these realms

16. Pseudoscience • Pseudoscience • Belief, dogma • Ideas not testable • Evaluation of a claim • Are the ‘facts’ true as stated? • Is there an alternative explanation? • Is the claim falsifiable? • Have claims been tested? • Do claims require unreasonable changes in accepted ideas?

17. The Organization of Science

18. Divisions of Science • Disciplines • Historical • Modern • Approach • Field researcher • Experimentalists • Theorists

19. The Branches orDisciplines of Science • Physics • Fundamental aspects of nature • Chemistry • Atoms in combination • Biology • Living systems • Astronomy • Objects in space • Geology • Earth

20. The Web of Knowledge • Center • Laws of nature • Apply to all areas • Areas Interconnected • All branches integrated

21. Basic Research, Applied Research,and Technology • Basic Research • Expand knowledge • Applied Research • Direct application • Technology • Conservation • Medicine

22. Funding for Science • US Government • $130 billion • NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD, EPA, NASA, NOAA • Apply for funds • Grant proposal • Ranked by independent scientists • Highly competitive

23. Communication Among Scientists • Collaboration • Scientific Meetings • Peer reviewed Journals • Cornerstone of science

24. Science as a way of knowing & understanding the universe - constructing testable theories/models • Scientific Method • A reiterative process based on observations, logic, and skepticism • Hypothesis • A concept or idea that seems to explain a phenomenon or set of observations • Model • A set of hypotheses that have withstood observational or experimental tests • Theory • A set of related hypotheses can be pieced together into a self consistent description of natural observations • Laws of Physics • Theories that accurately describe the workings of physical reality, and have stood the test of time and been shown to have great and general validity

25. The basic unit of angular measure is the degree (°).

26. Angular Measurements • Subdivide one degree into 60 arcminutes • minutes of arc • abbreviated as 60 arcmin or 60´ • Subdivide one arcminute into 60 arcseconds • seconds of arc • abbreviated as 60 arcsec or 60” 1° = 60 arcmin = 60´ 1´ = 60 arcsec = 60”

27. Powers-of-ten notation is a useful shorthand system for writing numbers

28. iClicker Question Which measurement of an average classroom door is closest to 2 meters? • A. Thickness • B. Width • C. Height • D. Surface area • E. Volume

29. Factor Name Symbol (billion) 109 Giga- G (million) 106 Mega- M (thousand) 103 kilo- k (hundredth) 10-2 centi- c (thousandth) 10-3 milli- m (millionth) 10-6 micro-  (billionth) 10-9 nano- n Common Prefixes for Powers of Ten

30. Astronomical distances are often measured in astronomical units, light-years or parsecs • Astronomical Unit (AU) • One AU is the average distance between Earth and the Sun • 1.496 X 108 km or 92.96 million miles • Light Year (ly) • One ly is the distance light can travel in one year at a speed of about 3 x 105 km/s or 186,000 miles/s • 9.46 X 1012 km or 63,240 AU • Parsec (pc) • the distance at which 1 AU subtends an angle of 1 arcsec or the distance from which Earth would appear to be one arcsecond from the Sun • 1 pc = 3.09 × 1013 km = 3.26 ly

31. Science is an adventure of the human mind