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Astronomy & the Process of Science

Astronomy & the Process of Science. What makes something scientific? What makes Astronomy a science? Why is Astrology not science?. Final Exam Essay Question!. How does the process of science work? What are its typical steps? 

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Astronomy & the Process of Science

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  1. Astronomy & the Process of Science What makes something scientific? What makes Astronomy a science? Why is Astrology not science?

  2. Final Exam Essay Question! • How does the process of science work? • What are its typical steps?  • Illustrate your answer with multiple astronomical examples of good science from the class.

  3. Science? • Finding out about Nature… • NOT always right, sure, certainty! • More often? Confused! Wrong! Richard Feynman

  4. Hallmarks of Science • Seek explanations from natural causes • Not “super-natural” • example:You hear a sound at night in the house…

  5. Hallmarks of Science • Seek explanations from natural causes • Not “super-natural” • example:You hear a sound at night in the house… • supernatural causes: ghosts!

  6. Hallmarks of Science

  7. Hallmarks of Science • Seek explanations from natural causes • Not “super-natural” • example:You hear a sound at night in the house… • natural causes: earthquake, mice, pets, children, house settling, sonic boom, thunder

  8. Hallmarks of Science • Seek explanations from natural causes • “Nature is full of infinite causes that have never occurred in experience.” - Leonardo da Vinci

  9. Hallmarks of Science • Progresses through creation & testing of models of nature that explain observations as simply as possible. • If it was a storm, do you see lightning? • If it was an earthquake, can you check news for seismic activity?

  10. Hallmarks of Science • Makes testable predictions and… • Revises or abandons models if predictions don’t agree with observations. (cf. nature of science)

  11. The process of science… • Observe “things” in nature • Ask Questions • Create Explanations • Develop Testable Hypotheses • Do the Experiment • Analyze results, anticipate errors • Draw Conclusions • Share with others for independent confirmation • Patterns (seasons repeat every year) • Motions (planets move across the sky) • Events (eclipses!) • What isn’t there! (feeling like we are moving)

  12. The process of science… • Observe“things” in nature • Patterns (seasons repeat every year) • Motions (planets move across the sky) • Events (eclipses!) • What isn’t there! (feeling like we are moving)

  13. The process of science… Ask Questionsabout what you observed • What? When? Where? How? … and WHY? • Research prior explanations & models • Requires imagination to tell what is important

  14. The process of science… • Create Explanations(theories) that account for what you have observed • These should be consistent with what is already known • Use these to predict additional observations, patterns, events, trends

  15. The process of science… Develop TESTABLE hypotheses • An “Educated Guess” • With a specific, narrow focus • Do the experiment • Feynman: Science ishow not to be fooled….

  16. The process of science… • AnalyzeExperimental Results • Most likely result: you can’t tell for certain if your hypothesis was right! • Next most likely: hypothesis is wrong! • And if you are right…? .

  17. The process of science… • Why aren’t you certain?? • Always uncertainty in every measurement, and in every result. • Experiment itself might not be able to tell.

  18. The process of science… • Develop Conclusionsbased on data • Anticipate sources of error • Refine or Discard Hypothesis • Develop further tests & Repeat! • Compare results w/ existing theories

  19. The process of science… • Share preliminary results • Submit a paper to peer-reviewed journal • Ask colleagues for input • Present at conferences • Discuss, Debate, Defend results • ARGUE

  20. The process of science… • Seek independent confirmationthen… • Revise Theories • Do new experiments • Develop new techniques, equipment, • Publish again

  21. The process of science… • Astrology:Personalities and actions of people can be studied, and similarities between people can be identified. The Sun, Moon, Planets & stars and their alignments and aspects are responsible.

  22. Astrology Consider your sunsign…

  23. OK, so why isn’t Astrology a “science”??? • Doesn’t astrology follow that process of science? • Observe behavior trends • Categorize into “signs” • Create a theory – the planets and stars are responsible • Test – read your horoscope! “That’s ME!!” • Publish

  24. OK, so why isn’t Astrology a “science”??? • Consider the following: “I’m an Aries. My astrological sign fits me perfectly. My horoscope today said that I would have a great day today and meet a stranger, and I did! It was 100% right.” From this one instance, could you predict that on the next day it will also be right?

  25. OK, so why isn’t Astrology a “science”??? • No…. You cannot make a valid conclusion from one instance where a theorydoes coincide with a prediction. • Science demands continual testing… • And science requires that if the prediction DOESN’T match the result even once, the theory must be modified!

  26. OK, so why isn’t Astrology a “science”??? • But what about this person? Astrology worked, didn’t it? • Doesn’t that count for something? “I’m an Aries. My astrological sign fits me perfectly. My horoscope today said that I would have a great day today and meet a stranger, and I did! It was 100% right.”

  27. OK, so why isn’t Astrology a “science”??? “I’m an Aries. My astrological sig fits me perfectly. My horoscope today said that I would have a great day today and meet a stranger, and I did! It was 100% right.” • In science, you must look for OTHER possible causes before you decide one particular theory is responsible! • Coincidence *does not mean* causality

  28. OK, so why isn’t Astrology a “science”??? “I’m an Aries. My astrological sig fits me perfectly. My horoscope today said that I would have a great day today and meet a stranger, and I did! It was 100% right.” • Other possibilities? • Did every horoscope match “perfectly”? • Did everything go “great” or just what you chose to remember? • Do you ever meet strangers on days when your horoscope doesn’t say you would?

  29. OK, so why isn’t Astrology a “science”??? “I’m an Aries. My astrological sig fits me perfectly. My horoscope today said that I would have a great day today and meet a stranger, and I did! It was 100% right.” • Other possibilities? • Did everyone born on the same day have the same results? • Could your belief *bias* you to see what you expect to see?

  30. Examining Astrology Scientifically • Astrology maintains:a) Personalities and actions of people can be studied, and similarities between people can be identified. b) The planets and stars are responsible.

  31. Examining Astrology Scientifically • Astrology:Personalities and actions of people can be studied, and similarities between people can be identified. The planets and stars are responsible. • The first part can be true! Psychology! • The second part is not.

  32. The process of science… • Consider the following…“The planet is getting warmer and warmer.Nature (volcanoes, the sun, cosmic rays) is responsible, not people.” • The first part can be true. • The second part mightnot be entirely true!

  33. Summary: Process of Science… • observationof data, developing questions about trends, differences, & unique occurrences seen • researchinto previous work on similar questions • building models &creating testable hypotheses • designing, & gathering new data through,experiments • testing & refining the models based on theanalysisof new data collected

  34. Summary: Process of Science… • modifying or discardingincorrect hypotheses • developing interconnected hypotheses intotheories • sharingresults with peers forindependentevaluation and testing • publishingfindings in peer-reviewed journals so that the community of science can advance.

  35. Science or Non-Science? • Could these be evaluated scientifically? • The Yankees are the best baseball team of all time. • Several kilometers below its surface, Jupiter’s moon Europa has an ocean of liquid water • My house is haunted by ghosts who make creaking noises I hear every night. • Dogs are smarter than cats.

  36. Science or Non-Science? • Could these be evaluated scientifically? • There is no liquid water on the surface of Mars today. • Children born when Jupiter is in front of Taurus are more likely to be musicians than other children. • Aliens can manipulate time so that they can abduct people and perform experiments on them without people every realizing they were taken.

  37. Science or Non-Science? • Could these be evaluated scientifically? • Newton’s law of gravity works as well for explaining orbits of planets around other stars as it does for planets in our own solar system. • God created the laws of motion that were discovered by Newton. • A huge fleet of alien spacecraft will land on Earth on January 1, 2020.

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