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Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Introduction to Science. Physical Science. What causes thunderstorms? What kinds of creatures live at different depths in the ocean? What clues to the earth’s past are found in its rocks? What makes a rocket move? How do lasers and computers work? What is sound?

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Chapter 1

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  1. Chapter 1 Introduction to Science

  2. Physical Science • What causes thunderstorms? • What kinds of creatures live at different depths in the ocean? • What clues to the earth’s past are found in its rocks? • What makes a rocket move? • How do lasers and computers work? • What is sound? • What are atoms made of?

  3. Physical Science All these questions are under the domain of physical science… Physical science is the systematic study of God’s physical creation and how it works.

  4. Mathematics: The Language of Science • Scientists use mathematics to describe the physical universe. • Physical Science is inseparable from mathematics.

  5. Descriptions • Mathematical descriptions are more precise than nonmathematical descriptions. • Qualitative Descriptions (like “the sun is hot.” and “the rock is heavy.”) are true, but do not give and accurate description. • Quantitative Descriptions (like “the sun has a surface temperature of 11,000 °F”) is a more accurate description.

  6. Equations • Scientist express the laws of the universe as mathematical equations. • Equations can be simple… Volume of a box: V = lwh • Equations can be complex: Equation of gravity:

  7. Remember: Equations should be memorized according to the actual relationships they represent… s = d/t should be memorized as speed equals distance divided by time. Equations

  8. Limitations of Mathematics • The scope of mathematics is limited to that which can be measured and expressed numerically. • Human nature, for example, cannot be expressed by equations. • Right and wrong cannot be determined by mathematics. • The existence of God cannot be determined by mathematics.

  9. Truth and Error Mathematics can be used for truth or error. The scientist is only human…he can make errors in calculations. He can also make errors because of false assumptions made by a scientist who is attempting to solve a problem.

  10. Limitations in Measurements • There are two types of certainty (or uncertainty) in scientific measurement: • The accuracy – exactness • The precision – repeatability Measurements must be consistent in order to be precise.

  11. Significant Figures Measurements are recorded to the first uncertain digit. For example: 110.5 lb from a bathroom scale has uncertainty with the last digit…the first three are significant. When averaging measurements, the resultant may only have as many significant digits as the original measurements.

  12. Scientific Notation A “short cut” for long numbers: Scientists deal with LARGE numbers… The nearest galaxy is 19,000,000,000,000,000,000 kilometers away from earth… It can be written as a multiple of 10… 19 X 1019 kilometers

  13. Systems of Measurement A standard of measurement: A specific measure to which other measures are compared to ensure uniformity. The F.P.S. (foot-pound-second) system is used in the United States.

  14. Systems of Measurements The metric system: Developed in the 1790’s by the French. It is based on the powers of 10.

  15. Basic Metric Units and Prefixes The basic units are: Length – meter (m) Volume – liter (L) Mass – gram (g) Prefixes are attached to make the basic unit larger or smaller. Common prefixes are milli – 10-3 centi – 10-2 kilo – 103

  16. Definitions of SI Units

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