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Why Study Physics? . God and Man . Adam and Eve were created in the image of God Creation Mandate (Genesis 1:26, 28) . God and Man . First Commandment: Love God Second Commandment: Love your neighbor . The Fallen World. The Curse affected all of Creation The universe began to deteriorate
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God and Man • Adam and Eve were created in the image of God • Creation Mandate (Genesis 1:26, 28)
God and Man • First Commandment: Love God • Second Commandment: Love your neighbor
The Fallen World • The Curse affected all of Creation • The universe began to deteriorate • Human depravity
Redemption • A promise from God • Spiritual redemption • Physical redemption • Physics is a tool for exercising dominion
Science can refer to any body of knowledge gained from observing the natural world as well as to the activities involved in acquiring scientific knowledge.
Nature of Science • Concerned with observable phenomena • Models: representations of reality • The goal of a model is workability, not accuracy.
Models • Conceptual models • Mathematical relationships • Numerical computer models • Dominion modeling
A Working Definition of Science “Science is the collection of observations, inferences, and models produced through a systematic study of nature...
A Working Definition of Science “for the purpose of enabling humans to exercise good and wise dominion over God’s world. The word science is also used...
A Working Definition of Science “to refer to the methods that produce the observations, inferences, and models.”
Science and Faith • What is a worldview? A perspective from which a person observes and understands the world
Science and Faith • What is a paradigm? A set of assumptions, concepts, values, beliefs, and practices that controls the way a person perceives some aspect of reality
Science and Faith • Naturalistic paradigm • Uniformitarianism—the present is the key to the past • Rejects God as the Creator of the universe
Science and Faith • Christian Worldview • God created the world for His glory • This world is fallen • God is redeeming this world to Himself
Science and Faith • Biblical paradigm • Creation by an all-powerful God • Arises from the Christian worldview
Theory a general or specific model that attempts to account for a set of related observations or phenomena
Hypothesis • a temporary explanation for a phenomenon • a starting point for further investigation • structured so that it can be tested
Law models or describes an observed relationship among phenomena or properties under specified conditions
Laws describe what happens. Theories explain why it happens.
Kinds of Science • Empirical science • present-day observations and experiments • also called operational science or dominion science
Kinds of Science • Historical science • creates hypotheses and develops theories and laws pertaining to events in the unobservable past • involves presuppositions
Physics encompasses things as small as atoms and as immense as galaxies. It is often subdivided into two general groups of knowledge based on history.
Classical Physics • developed 1600-1900 • mechanics • electromagnetism • thermodynamics
Modern Physics • developed 1900 to present • quantum mechanics • theories of relativity
Branches of Physics • astrophysics • geophysics • biophysics • atmospheric physics
Branches of Physics • nuclear and high energy physics • applied physics • and much more!
Limitations of Science Empirical science is limited to phenomena that can be observed.
Limitations of Science Because man’s knowledge is incomplete, science changes.
Limitations of Science Science has difficulty defining and explaining the causes of natural phenomena.
Limitations of Science Questions about man’s purpose and condition are beyond the realm of true science.
Scientific Methodology Often called the “Scientific Method”
Scientific Questions • the starting point for scientific investigations • involve What, Where, How, Why, or When • they may involve...
Scientific Questions • unexpected observations • patterns • predictions made by theories • a need to solve a problem or develop a new method
Hypotheses • a “tentative best guess” for explaining observations • It must be reasonable. • It must be testable. • It should not contradict established principles.
Hypotheses • It must explain all current observations and predict new ones. • It should be as simple as possible.
Observations • how we test hypotheses • involve the five senses • produce data
Data • qualitative: descriptive • quantitative: involves measurements with calibrated instruments • more objective
Sharing Scientific Knowledge • reports are prepared • reviewed by peers • published in scientific journals