NATURE OF SCIENCE

Science- Latin word: ‘scire’ meaning ______

  • Study of the ______world
  • Describes nature through ______obtained through systematic analysis of phenomena

Science should be viewed as…

  1. A way of ______in the pursuit of understanding the natural world
  2. A way ______by which hypothesis are tested
  3. A body of established ______

What Is and Is Not Science

  • Scientist want to know ______, ______, or ______something occurred
  • This process begins by ______and questioning
  • Science can attempt to answer ______about the natural world, but some questions cannot be answered by science

SO WHAT ISN’T SCIENCE?

  • Questions about ______, art, ______, personal opinions, morality, or religion ______be answered or studied by science
  • Science cannot tell you what is ______, wrong, good, or ______

Criteria exist that can help in distinguishing what is and is not science: NOTTUS

Natural : science seeks to explain the ______found in the universe in which we live.

1. Green plants convert sunlight into energy.

2. The tooth fairy will always leave money under your pillow

Observability : The event or evidence of the event, can be observed and ______through basic human ______or through tools that enhance human senses (such as a radar, microscopes, thermometers, ect)

  1. Extraterrestrial beings have visited Earth.
  2. Some Plants eat meat

Testability : the event must be testable through the processes of science, and controlled ______. Test in science must be ______and ______and results must be ______.

  1. The Loch Ness monster inhabits the Scottish Highlands
  2. Life comes from life and cannot come from non-life.

Tentativeness : Scientific theories are subject to revision and correction, even to the point of the theory being proven wrong. Scientific theories have been modified and will continue to be modified

  1. The number of human chromosomes was once "known" to be 48, but is now considered to be 46.
  2. We know that the world began about 6000 years ago, and nothing will change that.

Uncertain : As evidence grows over time, science becomes more certain but it never attains 100 percent certainty. Being 99% certain is still 1% uncertain.

  1. Liberty High School is located in Brentwood.
  2. The weather forecast for Friday is mainly sunny skies with a high of 86F.

Social : Science requires ______with other scientists, communication of results with one’s peers, and ______findings in journals, presentations, and scientific conferences. It is always a social endeavor involving the scientific ______.

  1. Single experiment proves theory to be true
  2. Green plants will grow towards a light source.

If It’s Not Science, What is it?

“pseudo” means “______”

“proto” means “______”

Pseudoscience: is ______science that may be portrayed and ______as a legitimate science by its followers and supporters. Example: ______

Protoscience: is science that is ______or near science in terms of conforming to “NOTTUS”, however, it has ______been adequately tested by scientific methods

Example: Earth’s ______might have connections to Earth’s ______system and help us identify trends

Nonscience: events or phenomena ______meet the criteria of science, and therefore fall outside the realm of science. Example: ______belief system (philosophy, religious beliefs, personal opinions, ethics)