Chapter 1: About Science (From Lecture Slide)

Question 1

Science

Answer 1

The collective findings of humans about nature, and the process of gathering and organizing knowledge about nature

Question 2

Ancient roots

Answer 2

Traces back to ancient times, notably flourishing in ancient Greece during the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, spreading across the Mediterranean

Question 3

European Interruption

Answer 3

After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century, Europe experienced a scientific halt due to invasions, destruction, and the rise of religious dominance

Question 4

Global Continuation

Answer 4

Chinese, Polynesian, and Arab civilizations continued astronomical and mathematical advancements despite the challenges faced in Europe

Question 5

Islamic Revival

Answer 5

Greek science experienced a revival in Europe during the 10th-12th centuries through Islamic influences

Question 6

Art and Science Convergence

Answer 6

In the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci seamlessly combined art and scientific exploration

Question 7

Printing Press Revolution

Answer 7

The 16th century intervention of the printing press significantly accelerated the dissemination of scientific thought and ideas, fostering a new era of knowledge sharing

Question 8

Science’s journey demonstrates its

Answer 8

Resilience, adaptability, and transformative power across civilizations and eras

Question 9

Measurement are

Answer 9

A hallmark of good science and how much you know about something is often related to how well you can measure it

Question 10

Scientific measurements are not

Answer 10

Something new, go back to ancient times

Question 11

During 3rd century, accurate measurements were made of

Answer 11

The sizes of the Earth, Moon, and Sun as well as the distances between them

Question 12

Size of Earth first measured in Egypt by

Answer 12

Eratosthenes in about 235 BC

Question 13

Size of Moon first measured by

Answer 13

Aristarchus in 240 BC also found distance to the moon and distance to the sun

Question 14

Equations serve as

Answer 14

Concise representations of relationships between concepts

Question 15

Mathematical expression of natural findings

Answer 15

Facilitates experimental validations

Question 16

Ideas of science are

Answer 16

Unambiguous when expressed in mathematical terms and unlike common language that can have multiple interpretations

Question 17

When findings in nature are

Answer 17

Expressed mathematically, they are easier to verify or to disprove by experiment

Question 18

Scientific methods (The Steps)

Answer 18

1) Recognize a questions, problems, puzzle, or unexplained fact (observe something)
2) Make a hypothesis
3) Predict consequences of the hypothesis
4) Perform experiments or make calculations to test the predictions
5) Formulate the simplest general rule

Question 19

Fact

Answer 19

Close agreement by competent observers who make a series of observations about the same phenomenon

Question 20

Scientific Hypothesis

Answer 20

An educated guess that is only presumed to be factual until supported by experiment

Question 21

Hypothesis must require a test of falseness if

Answer 21

It can be proven false, and we can test it

Question 22

Hypothesis must be capable of being

Answer 22

Proven wrong in principle (falsifiable)

Question 23

In most case, a falsifiable statement just needs

Answer 23

One observations to disprove it

Question 24

A statement that is not falsifiable usually needs some sort of

Answer 24

Exhaustive search of all possibilities to disprove it

Question 25

Most statement dealing with

Answer 25

Ethics, morals, or justice fall into this category

Question 26

Law (Principle)

Answer 26

A hypothesis that has been tested over and over and has not been contradicted

Question 27

Scientific Theory

Answer 27

A synthesis of a large body of information that encompasses well-tested and verified hypotheses about certain aspects of the natural world

Question 28

Is the following statement a fact, or a law?

Answer 28

1. Statement: An objects falls to Earth
2. Proper term: Fact!
3. The law would be: F = G m1m2/r^2