SCIENCE 1101: SCIENCE, SOCIETY and the ENVIRONMENT I

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SCIENCE 1101 SCIENCE, SOCIETY and the
ENVIRONMENT I

• Lecture 1

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This semester

• The nature of science
• Energy
• Atomic structure and Chemistry
• Principles of matter
• Bio-chemical cycles
• Ecology-Biodiversity, Introduced species
• Evolution

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• What is Science?

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What is Science?

• A tool that people use to answer certain types of
  questions.
• One of many ways that people can describe the
  world around them.
• E.g. Art, religion, Philosophy

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What is Science?

• Good at answering questions about observed
  natural phenomenon.
• e.g. How does the Heart work?
• Good at answering questions about how we interact
  with the environment and how it interacts with
  us.
• e.g. How can I cure this disease?How did the
  water get polluted?

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How science answers these questions

• Observation
• Thinking
• Experimenting
• Validating

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• Science is not Good at
• Expressing human experience through sensory or
  emotional means
• Art, Music, Literature, etc.
• Giving answers as to why life is meaningful
• Religion, Philosophy, etc.

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Scientists ask questions about thenatural world
and they believe that they are able to find the
answers e.g.Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology,
Engineering, etc.
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• Science probably began before recorded history.
• First recorded scientific field was astronomy
• The beginnings go back to 3000 B.C.

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• People observed the setting and rising of the
  sun, moon phases, and the position of stars and
  the sun during different times of the year.
• These regular cycles were used as a way to
  predict events, measure time, and prepare for
  changes in the season.

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Example

• Approximately 5000 years ago.
• Chinese had advanced sundials
• 365 day calendar.

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Example

• Babylonians and Egyptians had long records of
  astronomical observations.
• These observations were used to predict when
  floods would occur for crops
• Often tied to religious ceremonies or had
  religious significance

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The Greeks

• The Greeks laid the foundation for science as we
  know it.
• First ones to devise the first astronomical
  explanations that incorporated modern science.
• They used math..

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Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

• Figured out the world was round.
• Noticed that the shadow of the earth on the moon
  was round during a lunar eclipse.
• Noticed that the position of the stars in the sky
  changed as one went north or south

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• Aristotles observation combined with other
  natural observations from other thinkers led
  ancient scholars to believe
• 1. The universe was infinite and spherical.
• 2. The motions of all heavenly objects were
  circular.

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Key points and assumptions about Science

• The world is understandable.
• Scientific ideas are subject to change.
• Scientific knowledge is durable.
• Scientists cannot answer ALL questions.
• Science does not make moral or ethical judgments

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Key points and assumptions about Science (cont.)

• 6. Scientists try to avoid bias.
• 7. Validation of science is important
• 8.Most of science deals with quantifiable
  (measurable) data
• 9. Science is different from Technology

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1. The world is understandable

• Science assumes that events and processes that
  occur in the universe have consistent patterns.
• These patterns can be understood through careful
  experimentation and study.

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1. The world is understandable (cont.)

• Science assumes that the universe is one vast
  system where basic rules apply throughout.
• Science assumes that the patterns we see are due
  to natural and not supernatural phenomenon.